Altered
by TheWritingInsomniac
Summary: What would happen if Hizashi never died? What if Neji never resented Hinata? And what if Naruto never has to save her from bullies? Hinata Centric Story. No decided pairings. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter One**

Hinata held onto her father's robes as they walked toward the branch house, she looked up when her father stopped and saw a man, her uncle Hizashi, standing with a young boy by his side.

The boy had noticed her, and looked at her curiously, "Father," he whispers tugging on Hizashi's clothes, Hizashi looks down at him, "She's cute right?" Neji says, Hizashi looks back towards his brother, not saying a word.

Neji gives him a confused look before focusing back on the man in front of him, his uncle Hiashi, the Head of the Clan.

"Neji," the boy looks up at his father again, "Go with your uncle now," Hizashi says, Neji can't help but notice the sadness in his father's eyes, and feels nervous as he hesitantly follows Hiashi.

Hinata looks at them, confused herself, "Where's father going?" She asks turning to her uncle, who narrows his eyes into a glare, Hinata flinches back and looks away.

Later that day, Hinata stood facing her father, standing in the gentle fist stance, Hizashi and Neji sitting on the side lines, Hinata notices bandages on his head and tilts her head in confusion, "Focus Hinata," The little girl looks up and nods at her father, "R-Right."

Hiashi easily deflects and dodges Hinata's attacks, throwing off any direct attack she tries.

Hizashi's anger slowly rises as he watches them, Hiashi looks up, "Danger!" He yells as he turns to Hizashi and activates his curse mark.

Neji and Hinata jump as he yells out in pain, crumpling to the ground, "Learn your place Hizashi," Hiashi says coldly as he leaves the room, "Come Hinata."

Hinata looks at Neji who was trying to help Hizashi up, before following her father.

During the night, Hinata heard a slight creak and blearily opened her eyes, looking around her eyes widened when she saw a figure clad in black approaching her bed.

She froze for a split second before letting out an ear piercing scream that made the man flinch, before glaring at her, Hinata rolled off the bed right before he could catch and the door slammed open as Hiashi entered, Byakugan activated.

The man attempted to escape but Hiashi was next to him a split second knocking him out with a chakra filled palm.

Hinata looks up at her father with tears in her eyes and Hiashi pats her head, "It's okay now."

Hinata hugs his side tightly, burying her face into his clothes.

Hiashi's wife enters a second later and walks over to Hinata and picks her up, holding her tightly, "Go and take care of this, I'll watch Hinata," she says, giving Hiashi a small smile.

He nods and soon Hizashi arrives with another branch member, "Let's take him to the Hokage, I have a feeling who's behind this."

After they leave Neji pokes his head inside the room, and walks over to Hinata and takes her hand, taking the seat beside her and her mother on the bed, "Are you okay Hinata-Sama?" He asks.

Hinata nods, holding her mother just as tightly as before.

Her mother smiles at Neji, "Thank you for worrying about her, but she's fine now, you should go and her some sleep, I'll watch over her."

Neji nods after a moment, giving Hinata another smile he bows before leaving the room.

**_Line Break_**

Hinata slips into the gentle fist stance, facing her father, "Your to stiff," Hiashi notes, "Try relaxing more into the stance."

"The stance is to stiff and uncomfortable for her," Neji comments, he and Hizashi were watching again.

Hiashi looks over with a glare, before he can speak Hinata interrupts, "N-Neji is right," Hinata says meekly, looking up at her father.

Hiashi looks over his daughters stance, "You may be right, but what will you do about it?" He asks.

Neji doesn't say anything this time, watching Hinata has she gathered the confidence she needed, _'You can do this Hinata-Sama.'_

"W-We can modify t-the style," Hinata says, her voice barely above a whisper.

Hiashi frowns, "The council will be against this, our Clan follows tradition, and whether it's the way we live, how we follow the rules, or how we fight, we follow these traditions passed on since the day our Clan was founded."

Hinata frowns slightly at this, "But isn't it better to modify it so I can I can truly grow and fight, and become stronger, than hold myself back by using a stiff stance that I will never truly be able to fight with?"

Hiashi narrows his eyes, he looked over at Neji, who flinched slightly but kept his head high, "You both came up with this idea?"

Neji nods, "I noticed it during your training session on Hinata-Sama's third birthday, I suggested the idea of modifying it so she can use the gentle fist to her full potential."

Hiashi glances back at his daughter, who now stood straight, watching him anxiously, _'Neji really is a genius of the gentle fist, at such a young age he already has a good understanding of the fighting style and has unlocked his Byakugan.'_

"Alright," Hiashi says, "Hinata, dinner will be in a few hours," the Clan Head leaves.

Hinata lets out a sigh of relief as Hizashi and Neji relax, "Thank you," Hinata says, giving Neji a bright smile.

Neji nods, "Of course Hinata-Sama."

Hizashi watches them train, _'Hinata is almost five years old, and Neji six, I'm surprised by how much they each have grown in such a short time, they both have positive effects on each other, and I'm sure Hiashi won't separate them.'_

Hizashi closes his eyes, _'I've let go of my resentment towards Hinata, I still feel Neji deserves to be Head, but now I know Hinata won't be a tyrant, she'll change the ways of our Clan.'_

He looks over towards the door his brother had walked out, _'I know you'll be proud of her one day Hiashi, even if she doesn't show talent in her gentle fist.'_

Hinata relaxes into the semi modified stance, "This one feels better, but it still feels stiff."

"Keep adjusting the stance until it feels right then," Neji suggests, "We're just modifying the stance so it's natural for you, the way you'll perform Clan techniques will be slightly different but it will still reflect the traditional stance."

Hinata looks up at him, "Your really smart Neji, your only a year older than me too."

Neji flushes at the unexpected compliment, "Well, I'm a genius after all."

Hinata giggles, "Don't get a big head now Nii-san."

Neji scoffs, "Whatever," he says turning away and crossing his arms.

Hinata giggles again as Neji slowly grows redder from embarrassment.

**_Line Break_**

Hinata stands beside her father dressed in black along with Hiashi who held a newborn in his arms.

Hinata's mother had passed away after giving birth to her younger sister, the five year old tears up as she begins crying.

Hiashi looks down at her, eyes filled with sadness and sorrow before he looks up back, holding the baby in his arms tighter than before.

A few days later Hinata slips into Hanabi's nursery and walks up to her crib, she smiles down when she sees the baby was asleep, _'Your so cute Hanabi-Chan, I promise I'll be the best older sister ever!'_

Hinata kisses her head before leaving the nursery to get ready for her training session with her father.

Hiashi dodges and reflects her attacks, noting she had improved since the last one, but only a bit, _'Seems they found her stance.'_

"Neji's going to the academy soon right?" Hinata asks.

"Yes, he'll be going back soon," Hiashi says.

Hinata smiles, "I can't wait to go as well, I'm going this year right?"

"Yes," Hiashi answers, "Be ready for dinner in a few hours," he adds before leaving.

Hinata wipes the sweat off her face and starts going through her katas.

Months pass by until Hinata finds herself walking with Neji to the academy.

Hinata looks over at Neji, "What's the academy like?"

Neji scrunches his nose, "It's loud, but you will learn a lot, including three basic ninja techniques you must know in order to pass the final test and become a Genin."

"Is it hard?" Hinata asks.

"No, it's quite easy, you will be fine," Neji says.

Hinata sighs, looking around, everything was covered in a sheet of white snow, "I didn't know the academy started in January(1)."

"Sometimes it's later, but I guess they started earlier this year," Neji says with a shrug.

Hinata clasps her hands, "I can't wait to meet the other students, maybe we will become good friends!"

Neji shrugs again, "Maybe, we're almost there, I'll drop you off at your classroom."

Hinata waves to her cousin as he walks towards his own class before she enters her own, her eyes widen as the first thing she hears is loud talking as everyone in the class seemed to be apart of an animated conversation.

Hinata looked around and found a spot at the very back and she made her way over and took it.

She looked around the classroom from her new seat, seeing if she recognized anyone, she recognized the heirs and heiress's of the other Clans in Konoha, but everyone else as far as she could tell were citizens of Konoha.

The one person she recognized right away was Sasuke Uchiha, she had seen his older brother on one occasion and he looked similar to him.

The door to the classroom opened and a blond boy ran in, he had bright blue eyes and tan skin, with whiskers on his cheeks, "Hello!! My name is Naruto Uzumaki!" He yells with a wide bright smile, Hinata was sure everyone in the building had heard him.

Naruto took a seat beside Sasuke and introduced himself again, the dark haired boy just ignored him, irking the other boy.

The door opened again and Hinata focused on a tall man with tan skin, dark eyes, and brown hair in a ponytail, he wore Chunin attire and was smiling warmly at them, "Good morning students," he says, the class quieted down and everyone focused on him as he introduced himself, "My name is Iruka Umino, and I'll be your teacher for the next six years until you graduate and become genin."

**_Line Break_**

Hinata sat on a bench with her lunch, watching the other students run around and play, she hadn't talked with any of her classmates and hadn't made to try either.

The blue haired girl looked around, trying to spot her cousin, but Neji wasn't anywhere outside, _'I wonder if Neji-Nii-San has friends he eats with during lunch.'_

The little girl giggles as she imagines Neji sitting with a crowd of other students talking, it looked odd to her, Neji just wasn't the talkative type, nor the social type either.

Hinata let out an eep as a snowball flew passed her head, she looked up and saw some of the boys had started a snowball fight, _'Must have been an accidental throw,' _she thinks, the slight hope she felt that one of them were trying to invite her dying, _'I don't blame them for not asking, I haven't even tried to talk to anyone at all.'_

The day passed by slowly, Hinata was slightly disappointed by the fact they didn't really learn much, Iruka just going over what they would learn, but she didn't dwell on it, knowing it would only get harder from there.

She saw Neji waiting outside for her and made her way towards him, "Neji-Nii-San," she says with a smile.

Neji nods, giving her a slight smile in return, "Hinata, how was your first day?"

Hinata shrugs, "It was fine I guess, we didn't do much of anything."

"That's usually how the first day goes," Neji says, "Come now, let's head home."

The two walk home, talking amongst themselves, ahead of them three boys were walking towards them, as they passed by, one boy's shoulder roughly ran into Hinata's, making him drop his ice cream.

"Hey!!" He yells, "You made me drop my ice cream!!"

Hinata turns around, Neji does as well, glaring at them, "Leave Hinata-Sama be, you did that on your own."

The boy's glare falters, "N-Neji!"

"Lets go!" Another boy says, and the three run away.

Neji scoffs at their retreating forms, "Let's continue, your father is waiting to hear how your day was," He says as he continues walking forward, Hinata glances back but follows him.

The two arrived at the compound, "I'll be off now Hinata-Sama," Neji says before heading towards the branch house.

Hinata enters the main house and goes towards her fathers study where he would be waiting.

She knocks on the door, and here's an "Enter," after a short pause, she walks into the room and bows before standing tall, "We've returned from the academy."

"How did your day go?" Hiashi asks, looking up from the paper he was writing on.

"It was fine, Iruka-Sensei merely informed us of what we'd be doing for the rest of the year, and gave everyone a scroll we will be reading over throughout the year."

"The academy will seem easy to you, but it will get tougher as you go on, so keep up your studies," Hiashi states, "But don't forget to train as well."

"Yes father," Hinata bows before leaving the room.

**_To be continued.._**

**AN: I've always wanted to write a Hinata-Centric story, just cuz she's my favorite character, I know there's a lot of stories like this, but I think it'd be cool to look into her character if Naruto never had to save her, and she never met him and started to crush on him because of that.**

**(1) In the anime, Hinata is bullied on the day of her enrollment at the academy, since it's snowy outside, I chose January as the timeline, since Hinata would also already be six years old.**

**Let me know what ya think! Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review! **

**See ya next chapter!**


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Two**

Eight year old Hinata looks up, feeling Neji's dubious stare from across the room, her cousin stood at the entrance with his arms crossed and eyebrow raised as he read the cover of her book, "Do you need anything Nii-San?"

Neji walks over, entering the library, and taking a seat next to her, "Why are you reading up on Ninjutsu? Elemental Jutsu to be exact."

Hinata shrugs, "I want to learn more about it," she puts the book down after a moment, looking and listening for anyone that might be nearby, before turning to Neji, "You know that I'll be the Head of the Clan someday right?"

"Yes," Neji asks, confused by her sudden question.

"And you know that you'll be right by my side, as we get rid of the curse seal, and bring the Main Branch and the Branch together?"

"Yes."

"Then why is it so shocking that I'd be reading up on Ninjutsu? We both know, that I won't be following tradition when I become Head," Hinata says quietly, "And I don't mind breaking a few rules, and angering the council if it means I won't be subjecting myself to wasting my potential by just using the Clan techniques and my Byakugan."

"The Clan Techniques and Byakugan are our Clan's pride Hinata, there is a reason we only use them, it's to show our strength, that our techniques are all that we need, that we are superior to everyone else," Neji states.

Hinata frowns, "Pride isn't everything Nii-San, one day, that pride will bite us back, and even with all Are knowledge of our Clan's Tehniques, we won't be ready, I'm preventing that Neji, by learning outside our Clan, and learning new jutsu's, I won't be limiting myself."

Neji frowns, a serious expression on his face, "Your father won't approve of this."

"He doesn't know."

"The council will be against it, they might as well start training Hanabi now."

"They don't need to know, and Hanabi's two for goodness sakes."

"This is a dangerous gamble Hinata, learning outside our Clan's techniques is treason," Neji states, "Are you willing to do that? For a few flashy jutsu's?"

Hinata smiles at him, "Neji, I won't limit myself, the Byakugan has so many more uses than how we use it now, think about how I could use my Byakugan in medical Jutsu! Hyuuga have always had the chakra control it takes to become one, but the council has always forbidden it, 'Ninja's take lives, not save them,' that's probably the most stupid and ignorant thing they've said, Ninja's take lives, yes but they also save them too, and not just by using Medical Jutsu, but by protecting our village and keeping us all safe, by going on missions for the sake of our village, they are wrong Neji, and I'll prove that to them by becoming a strong ninja, with both my Byakugan, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and even Medical Jutsu."

Neji stares at her in shock, "When did you become so knowledgeable."

"It's logic Neji," Hinata states, "I understand if you went to learn only the Clan techniques, it won't lessen my view of you Neji, I respect you, your my older brother, I aspire to be as strong as you, and stronger than you," Hinata says, "But as I said, I won't limit myself."

Neji stares at her silently for a moment, before sighing, "I won't be changing your mind will I?"

"Nope."

"Fine, I'll keep this a secret Hinata, so don't let this blow up in your face," Neji says.

Hinata smiles brightly, "Thank Neji-Nii-San, and I won't!"

Neji sighs, rubbing his temples, "I feel like I aged in the past five minutes, why must you be so troublesome Hinata?"

Hinata looks over at him, "Troublesome? No. Smart? Logical? Yes."

Neji groans and stands up, "I'll see you later at our training session Hinata-Sama."

Hinata giggles as she watches him go, _'Thank you for your support Neji-Nii-San.'_

Hinata focused again on the book, "Where do I find chakra paper?" She asks herself out loud.

**_Line Break_**

Over the two years she'd been at the academy, Hinata has learned a few things, first, don't approach Sasuke or you'll be mauled by the surrounding females, second, if you are a female, and you like Sasuke, Sasuke hates you, and third, just don't go near Sasuke Uchiha.

Last year during their second year at the academy, the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out by one of their own, Itachi Uchiha, who left only Sasuke alive, to fester in his growing anger and hatred.

Hinata didn't know what to think, she had heard rumors from her Clan elders about the Uchiha Clan, but she never listened, she had met the Uchiha heir only a few times, but from what she had seen, he wasn't a bloodthirsty psychopath, but then again, wolves can hide in sheeps clothing, and she wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Something just felt off about the entire thing, but she wouldn't waste time thinking about it.

Hinata took her seat in the very back as usual, and beside her sat her seat mate, Shino Aburame.

They didn't speak much to each other, only Hinata's greetings when he arrived, or when she arrived, and goodbyes every day. They acknowledged each other, and that was enough, especially considering how introverted the two were.

Hinata couldn't speak for Shino, but all her interactions with people are from inside the Clan, and the few people she's interacted with at Clan events, but only because she's has to, she'd rather study all day, or train.

"Good morning Aburame-San," Hinata says, looking over at the quiet boy, who only nods in response.

Hinata looked around the room, watching the interactions between her fellow classmates, and was surprised to see Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno yelling and arguing heatedly over Sasuke, _'Aren't they best friends?' _Hinata thinks, she wasn't sure, considering they looked about ready to murder each other then and there.

The door to classroom opens and everyone quiets down and scrambles to sit at their desks, she notes that Sakura has taken the seat next to Sasuke, and looked much too smug about it.

She focuses on Iruka as he started the lesson, taking notes and making sure she understood all that he said.

"Your all dismissed for lunch, we'll discuss more on chakra when you all get back." Iruka says.

Hinata stands up and gets her lunch out, she sees Shino sitting at his desk and walks over, "Would you like to eat lunch with me Aburame-San?"

Shino nods and they head outside, and sit on Hinata's favorite bench and eat lunch in a comfortable silence.

Hinata smiles to herself as she takes a bite of her rice ball, _'I think I've finally made my first friend.'_

**_Line Break_**

Hinata waved goodbye to Shino before leaving the classroom and heading towards the entrance, Neji stood waiting for her at the gates, "Neji-Nii-San!" She calls out to him as she comes closer.

Neji looks at her, raising an eyebrow, "Your in a good mood today."

"I made a friend!" Hinata says cheerfully.

"After _two years _you finally made a friend..congratulations Hinata," Neji says with a teasing smirk.

Hinata pouts, "That's better than you can say," Neji doesn't respond, knowing she's right.

Hinata and Neji exit the academy and start walking home, _'Neji-Nii-San is more introverted than either me or Shino, he's even more socially awkward, he only really interacts with our Clan like me, but even at Clan Events he doesn't stick around for long, opting to train in the Branch house dojo.'_

Neji looks over at her, confused by her sudden silence, "Are you okay Hinata?" He asks.

Hinata looks up at him, "It's nothing, I was just thinking about how you don't like Clan or social events."

Neji scowls, "I'd rather train then stand around for hours pretending like I tolerate other people."

Hinata giggles in response, "Poor Neji-Nii-San, hopefully your genin team can break down your walls and become your friends."

Neji frowns, "So who's your friend?" He asks, changing the subject.

"Shino Aburame," Hinata says, "He's even more quiet than I am, but when he does speak its very thoughtful and insightful, when I graduate, I hope I'm in the same team as him."

Neji nods, "It's good to be on a team with people you know, what would really be unlucky is if you ended up on a team with the Uchiha."

Hinata can't stop the cringe as she thinks about it, "I don't mean to be rude, but being on the same team as Sasuke Uchiha would be self destructive, not only for me, but for our other teammate as well, he doesn't work well with others, and honestly, he's to prideful to recognize their strength."

Neji looks over at her, "I agree, and Hiashi would never allow it anyways."

Hinata didn't disagree, they parted ways when they arrived at the compound. She headed inside the Main House and to Hiashi's Office.

The Head of the Clan looked up when she entered, "How did your day go?"

"Good, I made a new friend," Hinata says, "His name is Shino Aburame."

Hiashi nods, "Aburame's have good heads on them, I'm glad your becoming more...social," he says.

Hinata beams, "Thank you father," she bows before leaving his office to visit Hanabi.

"Hana-Chan!!" The Two year old perked up hearing her voice, Hinata picks her up and Hanabi eagerly wraps her arms around Hinata's neck, "Hi-Cha!"

Hinata giggles, she loved the nickname Hanabi had given her, Hanabi couldn't quite say her name yet.

"Does Hana-Chan want me to read a story to her again?" The little girl nods and Hinata sits on one of the chairs in the room, Hanabi snuggling up to her as Hinata began reading the book to her.

**_Line Break_**

Hinata ran through her stances, as Neji watched, "You've gotten better Hinata, your defense is very good, but you need to get better with your offense."

"I know," Hinata says, weaving through the different stances, almost like a dance, "I've been working on a new technique."

Neji nods his head, waiting for her to continue.

"You know how I won't be able to use the Eight Triagrams Palms revolving Heaven?"

"Yes," the technique would be no good to her since she was creating her own version of the gentle fist, "What of it?"

"I've been training on my own, I think if I practice enough, in a few years I may be able to create my own version of it," Hinata says, taking a deep breath as she began her cool down routine.

Neji looks decidedly interested, "I'm guessing I won't be able to see it until you've perfected it?"

Hinata nods, "It will be a surprise for everyone," she says with a smile, "I want to impress my father, how else would I be able to do it then by creating my own technique."

Neji smiles, "I think that will be perfect," he says, "If you ever need help come ask me."

Hinata looks back at him, "I'm gonna do my best to not have to ask you for help Neji-Nii-San, I appreciate all you've done for me but I want to do this myself."

"I understand Hinata, I'm quite excited to see what you've come up with," Neji says.

Hinata smiles, "It'll be worth the wait."

"Of course it will, you'd never do anything for no reason," Neji says.

Hinata shrugs, "I don't know about that, I go out of my way to tease you sometimes."

Neji rolls his eyes, "Like the annoying little sister you are," he says.

Hinata grins, "Your never getting rid of me."

Neji smirks, "Who said I wanted to get rid of you?"

Hinata stands up and holds her arms out, "Can I hug you?"

Neji scowls, "Your all sweaty and disgusting, no!"

Hinata darts after him when Neji takes off, "Come back Neji!"

"Don't touch me Hinata!"

There's a crash, and Hizashi looks down on the ground, Neji had ran into him and had been able to stop himself from falling, but Hinata had tackled him in the few seconds his guard was down, "Neji...Hinata-Sama."

Hinata looks up and smiles brightly, "Hi Hizashi-ji-San."

Whatever Neji says is muffled by the act his face was currently slammed into the ground, Hinata gets off her cousin and pulls him up, "Hello father," Neji mumbles, face red from embarrassment.

Hizashi nods and steps around the two, "Don't let your guard down again Neji," he calls back to them.

Neji glares at Hinata, "I hate you."

"You don't mean that."

Neji grumbles and walks passed her as Hinata bursts into a fit of laughter, gaining odd looks from the Clan members she passes by as she heads to her room.

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: Alrighty, I'm on a roll.**

**A special thanks to Sara (Guest) for your review! It made me super happy and I'm glad you like the story so far! **

**A special thanks to SarcasticSapphireHaltermayno, and Aki666 for following _Altered_, the story says I have four followers, I didn't get the notification for the fourth follower and I apologize for not including you, and another special thank you to mythologyfreakgirl for favoriting my story!**

**I'm so glad that you all like _Altered _and I hope you enjoy this chapter and future chapters, see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Three**

Hinata stretched her arms out, sitting in the middle of the dojo, Neji stretched out next to her, "What if we could block chakra points with our feet?" Hinata asks, "I can cover my feet in chakra and block the points while dealing more damage."

Neji raises an eyebrow, "I don't think I've ever heard of someone using the Gentle Fist that way."

"Can I test my theory out on you Neji-Nii-San?" Hinata asks.

Neji sighs, "If you can manage to land a hit on me first."

Hinata frowns, "Are you underestimating me? I've grown a lot since our last training session."

"That was yesterday."

"So? I can land a hit on you."

Neji rolls his eyes and stands up, offering Hinata a hand, the two walk to their proper places and fall into their stances.

Neji used the traditional stance and Hinata used her own, it was much looser than Gentle Fist stance, and had more weak points since she hadn't perfected it yet.

They each activated their Byakugan and charged at each other.

Hinata stayed on the defense, ducking and dodging around Neji's attacks, Hinata tries to swipe his feet but Neji jumps back and narrowly dodges an attack from Hinata who had attacked before he could fully land on the ground and gain his balance again.

Hinata falls down into her stance and charges, Neji side steps another attack and lets out a yelp when Hinata kicks his knee, he falls over holding it.

Hinata grins, "I win."

Neji glares at her, "Cheap shot."

Hinata rolls her eyes, "Ready to be my test dummy?"

Neji groans and rolls over, refusing to answer her question, Hinata giggles at his reaction, having fully expected it.

**_Line Break_**

"I'll give you this Hinata, I'll have plenty of bruises, but you didn't land a hit on my chakra points at all," Neji states, rubbing his sore arm, Hinata had kicked it a few times, she may look weak, but her strength was nothing to scoff at.

Hinata pouts, "You were a moving target, and it was my first time trying it, and of course your gonna have bruises! Legs are stronger than arms after all."

Neji scowls, "Of course I was dodging! I wasn't gonna let you willingly lock my chakra points with a kick to my arm, or gut."

Hinata shrugs, "Well obviously, but did you have to dodge like your life depended on it?"

Neji narrows his eyes at her, "Yes. Yes I did."

Hinata giggles and helps Neji stand before leaving the dojo, "I'll meet you by the front gate in about two hours," she says over her shoulder.

Hinata and Neji walk to the school together, winter was coming to an end, the slight warming of the usual bitter cold told them that Spring would soon arrive, "I can't believe it's already my third year," Hinata says, she was nine years old now.

Neji rolls his eyes, "Time flies fast at the academy, you get used to it."

Hinata laughs, "Of course I know that, but it's still a shock, I feel like I've come so far in such a short time."

"That's because you have Hinata," Neji states, "And don't let anyone tell you otherwise, your very strong, mentally more than physically."

Hinata narrows her eyes, "Tell that to the bruises decorating your body."

Neji glares at her, "That was uncalled for."

Hinata shrugs, "You asked for it."

They parted ways once they arrived at the academy and Hinata entered her classroom, unbothered by the chaos that was her classmates, and took her seat in the back, "Good morning Aburame-San."

"Hyuuga-San," Shino greets in return before they both fall into a comfortable silence despite the noise in the classroom.

Hinata beams, _'Shino greets me back now! I'm so happy he's my friend.'_

Hinata looks around the class, nothings really changed, at all, in the passed three years, other than Sakura and Ino becoming bitter rivals, and of course Sasuke's sudden change into a depressed boy festering hatred and revenge.

Hinata looks around again and meets the lazy but intelligent eyes of Shikamaru Nara, who nods in greeting when he notices her, followed by a yawn as he rested back on his arms.

The Hyuuga girl and Nara boy had been assigned as teammates in some of the projects Iruka had given the classroom, Hinata enjoyed the time she spent with him, and she enjoyed playing Shogi, even though Shikamaru had recently began teaching her how to play during breaks.

During lunch Hinata found herself sitting in a shaded area with Shino, Shikamaru, and Shikamaru's best friend, Choji Akamichi.

Shino was quietly observing the shogi match between Hinata and Shikamaru while Choji was peacefully and happily snacking on his chips.

Hinata pouts, "You win again."

The lazy Nara smirks, "Your a beginner, it's a drag teaching you but your coming along."

"What made you start playing shogi Nara-San?" Hinata asks curiously, as the two began resetting the board.

"My father taught me how to play, he's the only person who I can't beat, it's troublesome," Shikamaru says with a shrug.

Hinata's eyes widened, "I thought you were unbeatable."

"I had to learn from somewhere right?" Shikamaru says, playing his first move.

Hinata hums in response, "I guess," she moves her knight before leaning back on her arms, "I wonder how long I'd last in a match against your father."

"Not long," Shikamaru dead pans as he moves another piece.

Hinata pouts, "Jeez, one day I'm gonna beat you."

"Probably not," Shikamaru says, "I win."

"Ahhhh, I was distracted by our conversation that time!"

"No, it wasn't that, your strategy was just bad that round."

"Shut up!"

"What a drag, dealing with girls is so troublesome."

Hinata narrows her eyes, "One more game! We still have time!"

Shikamaru sighs as they restart the board again, "Your never giving up are you?"

"Nope!"

"..troublesome."

**_Line Break_**

"Sasuke vs Hinata," Iruka calls during their lesson, Iruka paired up random students to spar, the dark haired boy scowled but moved to the middle, Hinata stood across from him, they each fell into their respective stances, "Begin!"

Sasuke charged towards Hinata, she side steps his attack and hooks her ankle around his foot bringing him to the ground and tries to pin him but he kicks her off.

Hinata jumps back on her feet and stays on the defensive as she dodges and parries Sasuke's attack, looking for a pattern, _'Right, left, jab, swipe,' _Hinata thinks, catching his next attack, fully grabbing his arm with her other hand, before flipping him over, he lands harshly on the ground with his breath knocked out of him, his feet outside the sparring circle.

"Hinata wins," Iruka calls, Hinata shivers feeling the collective glares of Sasuke's fan girls, _'Jeez, it's a miracle he hadn't snapped yet.'_

She moves back to the other students and stands beside Shino, "Congratulations," Shino says quietly.

Hinata smiles, "Thank you Aburame-San."

"I can't believe you picked him up! Your really strong," another one of her classmates says, Kiba Inuzuka if she remembered correctly.

"Thank you Inuzuka-San."

"Call me Kiba, Inuzuka-San sounds like your referring to my mom," Kiba says awkwardly, the pup sitting atop his head barking as if he agreed.

Hinata smiles sheepishly, "I-I don't feel comfortable being so informal with someone I barely know."

Kiba rolls his eyes, "That doesn't matter, from now on we're friends so deal with it."

Hinata stares at him, eyes wide in shock, before nodding as a small smile forms, "Okay, we're friends now."

"If you don't mind, I would like to be called Shino from now on as well, why? Because we are friends Hinata-San," Shino chimes in quietly, Kiba flinches back, having forgotten he was there.

Hinata beams at the both of them, "Okay Shino-San, Kiba-San!"

Kiba looks at her raising an eyebrow, both confused and amused by her show of emotions, _'What's the big deal? It's just our first names.'_

The three quiet down as they watch the rest of the matches, wishing each other good luck when they were called on.

**_Line Break_**

"Hinata, you look like the sun itself your smiling so much," Neji mutters as they walk home.

Hinata giggles, "I made another friend! And me and Shino refer to each other with our first names!"

Neji raises a brow, "That's quite informal of you."

"But we're friends now! And he asked me politely to, so I couldn't say no! Even if I wanted to, which I didn't," Hinata explains.

Neji chuckles, "Whatever you say Hinata."

"You still don't have any friends so I won't hear anything from you," Hinata says crossing her arms with a playful pout.

Neji scowls, "You actually want friends, I on the other hand, don't need nor want any."

Hinata frowns, "That's not a good mindset."

"Smiling that much isn't good but I'm not saying anything."

"A smile can brighten up anything! Your just jealous because you _can't _smile."

"I-I can smile! You've _seen me smile_!"

Hinata laughs, "The look on your face," she says, "Of course I know you can smile Neji, I'm just teasing you."

Neji scowls, "Stop that."

"Sorry, I won't ever stop, not if it means I can't see that incredulous expression on your face," Hinata states, her voice playful and serious.

Neji's scowl deepens as he begins speeding up, leaving her behind, Hinata starts jogging after him, "Stop being a drama queen Neji!"

Hiashi was outside the compound, talking with Hizashi when he saw Hinata and Neji entering the compound, by the annoyed expression on his nephews face he could tell Hinata was at it again with the teasing, "Hinata," he says warningly.

Hinata freezes, looking up and offering her father a sheepish smile as Hizashi suddenly has a "coughing fit" and horribly disguised his laughter.

Neji smirks and Hinata narrows her eyes, "I look forward to our training session dear cousin," she says before heading inside the main house.

Neji pales, and both Hiashi and Hizashi look at him curiously, "Did she come up with a new idea for her fighting style?" Hizashi asks.

Neji nods, "She wants to lock chakra points by kicking and using her feet," he states, "And it's very painful."

"She best you in a spar?" Hizashi's blank expression betrayed the surprise in his tone, Hiashi sent him a glare, "My daughters capable of beating your son."

"Yes," Neji says bitterly, "But only because she used a dirty move and kicked my knee knocking me off balance."

Hiashi frowns, "I'm becoming lax in our training sessions, she shouldn't have to use such moves to win."

"She still won," Neji says, "Anyways I need to get ready for our session, I'll go harder on her than usual today to make up for the bruises she gave me yesterday," he starts walking towards the Branch House.

Hiashi and Hizashi share a look, "I can't tell who's influencing who more," Hiashi says.

Hizashi shrugs, "Who cares, the only thing that matters is that they are there for each other when they need it the most."

The two brothers part ways, Hiashi heading to lecture Hinata on her fighting style, and Hizashi going back to the Branch House to get in some training with Neji.

**_Line Break_**

"What happened to you?" Kiba asks the next day, Hinata had just entered the classroom.

Hinata pouts, "I lost a sparring match to Neji," the bruise on her face was hand sized.

"Doesn't that hurt?" The Inuzuka asks, wincing at the sight of it.

Hinata shrugs, "It stings but I tune out the pain, Neji got a lucky shot in when I let my guard down, for just a moment!"

"Good morning Hinata-San," Shino greets.

"Good morning Shino-San," Hinata replies with a smile, before wincing because of her bruise.

"Alright everyone," Iruka says, walking into the classroom, "Line up, we will be practicing your Transformation Jutsu."

When it's Hinata's turn Iruka winces, "Where did you get that bruise?" He asks, concerned for his student.

Hinata shrugs, "Neji got a lucky shot."

"...alright, show us your transformation," Iruka says awkwardly.

Hinata makes the correct hand sign, "Transformation Jutsu," a clone appears next to her, an almost perfect copy of her current self, though the bruise was gone.

"Good job," Iruka says, the clone disappears, "Who's next?"

Kiba joins Hinata, Shino, and Shikamaru for lunch again, having joined them the day before, "You both play shogi? Isn't that game really boring?" Kiba asks, looking at the board with a confused expression.

Hinata smiles, "It helps you strategize better, and the game exercises the mind."

Shikamaru shrugs, "I just want to beat my dad."

Kiba sweat drops, Akamaru yapping before jumping off Kiba's head and snuggling up to Hinata who giggles and gives the puppy her attention, "Hello Akamaru."

Hinata smiles contently as she plays her next move, she liked eating lunch and hanging out with her friends, it made her very happy.

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: Another chapter completed.**

**A special thank you to hinatayvonne for reviewing, I agree with you! Neji is the cutest. And CrazyChimera for the following_ Altered _and reviewing as well! I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you enjoy this one!**

**More special thank you's to The Plague Doctor for following _Altered_ and to Thesamemistakes for favoriting and following, thank you to Tolitir for favoriting and following both _Altered _and myself as an author! And another thank you to MoRaine25for following my story too! I hope everyone enjoys the newest chapter of _Altered_.**

**See y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Four**

Hinata considered herself a socially awkward and introverted person, even if she's made friends in the four years she's spent at the academy, the ten year old still didn't understand somethings.

Such as the collective hate all the adults and even some of the kids held for Naruto Uzumaki, one of her classmates. And while the blond boy pranked the ninjas and defaced the Hokage Rock in his free time, did it really warrant this level of contempt?

Hinata deduced that she had to investigate, ask around, and she'd start with her friends.

At lunch time the usual group sat under their favorite tree, the group consisted of Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Shino.

Hinata broke the silence first, asking the group the question that was on her mind, "Why does everyone hate Naruto?"

There is a moment of silence, before Kiba shrugs, "I dunno, maybe because he's annoying? He's always pranking everyone too, you'd be surprise how red a Chunin's face can turn."

Shino speaks next, adjusting his glasses, "I don't know why they hate Naruto, I apologize Hinata-San, why? Because I don't have the answer to your question."

"It's okay Shino-San," Hinata says smiling at him, she turns to the other two who had yet to speak.

Choji shrugs, "I don't know why Naruto is hated, I don't think he's that bad of a guy," the Akamichi says honestly.

Hinata turns to Shikamaru, the lazy Nara sighs, "Maybe it has something to do with his birthday."

Hinata frowns, contemplating his answer, before trying to remember Naruto's birthday, "It's the same night the Kyuubi attacked and destroyed our village ten years ago!"

Kiba looks up at that, "Maybe they associate his birth with the Kyuubi and hate him for it."

Shikamaru's eyes widen as realization hits him, "Naruto is the vessel for the Kyuubi..that explains so much."

The ten year olds are quiet as they digest the information, "There's only one thing we can do," Hinata states, the four boys look at her, "We invite him to hang out with us!"

**_Line Break_**

Hinata stands outside her father's office, before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door, "Come in," Hiashi says from inside.

Hinata opens the door and closes it before turning to Hiashi and bowing respectfully, she then takes a seat in front of him.

"Do you need something Hinata?" Hiashi asks, looking up from the papers on his desk.

"Is it true that Naruto Uzumaki holds the Nine Tailed Fox spirit inside his body?" Hinata asks.

Hiashi narrows his eyes, "How do you know that?"

"I asked my friends about it at lunch, Shikamaru-San mentioned his birthday, then Kiba-San said the hatred everyone holds for him could be associated to his birth, and then Shikamaru-San figured it out," Hinata explains.

"The Nara's mind never fails to amaze me," Hiashi murmurs, "If this was true, what would you do with the information Hinata?" Hiashi asks.

"What would I do? I'd be Naruto's friend, he doesn't deserve to be alone because of something he didn't have control over, the Fourth Hokage sealed the Kyuubi inside him, so Naruto is really a hero, don't you think? Using his body as a container stopped the Nine Tails attack!" Hinata says.

Hiashi smiles, it's small but it's there, "You've grown so much, but I can't allow you to talk with that boy, the council will catch word of it and they won't be happy."

"I've been hiding my training from them for years father, I can hide the fact that I'm friends with Naruto Uzumaki, though I'd rather not because it makes no sense to do such a thing," Hinata frowns, "The council is so troublesome."

"That Nara is really rubbing off on you," Hiashi says, "Do what you want, but be careful Hinata."

Hinata beams at him, "Thank you father!" She bows respectfully, "I'll work extra hard from now on! When I become the Head of the Clan, I won't let the stupid council push me around! I'll be friends with anyone I want!"

Hiashi watches her leave, eyes slightly wide, _'What did I just unleash?'_

_**Line Break**_

"Uzumaki-San!" The blond looks up, wide blue eyes take in the picture before him, one of his classmates, he can't remember her name, stood in front of him, four others behind her, "Do you want to eat lunch with us?" Was he dreaming?

Naruto decided he wasn't dreaming, because he pinched his cheek, the girl glanced back at her friends, before turning to him and beaming, "Are you okay?"

Naruto nods, "Yeah, I just..pinched myself since I thought I was dreaming."

The girl looked even more confused, "Why would you do that? Oh well! Do you wanna eat lunch with us?"

"Yes!" Naruto agreed excitedly, following the group, "Hi Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji," He says greeting the three he knew.

"My name is Shino Aburame," Naruto jumps when he hears the quiet boy speak.

"H-Hi! I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto greets sheepishly, _'Is it bad I forgot he was there?'_

"Our friend Hinata is the one who suggested we invite you to lunch, why? Because she's a good person and wants to be your friend," Shino says.

Naruto's eyes widen, "F-Friend?" That can't be true! No one wanted to be his friend, everyone hates him!

"Not just Hinata, all of us," Kiba corrects, "Your not alone anymore Naruto."

N-Not..alone, Naruto beams, tears welling up in his eyes, "A-Are you okay?!" Kiba shouts, confused by the sudden tears.

"I-I'm perfectly okay," Naruto says, wiping his eyes, "I've never felt better."

Hinata glances over her shoulder, "Don't cry Uzumaki-San, we're friends now, and even if there happy tears, I don't like seeing anyone cry, especially my friends."

Naruto calms down once they reach their hang out place, he settles down next to Kiba, and joins the Inuzuka in watching Shikamaru playing a game with Hinata, "What game is that?" He asks, having never seen it before.

"Shogi," Kiba says, "I wouldn't bother trying to learn it."

Naruto watched the game anyways, _'I have no idea what's going on,'_ the blond thinks.

Kiba snorts, "I don't know either."

Naruto glances at him, his emotions must've been pretty clear if Kiba had read them so easily, looks around the group, stopping on Hinata, who was smiling sheepishly as she played her move, he wasn't surprised that Kiba had become so perceptive, she could probably change and influence anyone with just her smile.

Naruto smiles and fully relaxes next to Kiba, he liked having friends..real friends, and he was sure they wouldn't turn their backs on him.

He was sure they wouldn't hate him like everyone else, they wouldn't have invited him to lunch, and called him their friend.

Watching the five interact, he was sure he found life long friends in them.

**_Line Break_**

Confusion crossed Neji's features when he saw her wave goodbye to Naruto, but Hinata didn't care as she walked up to him, "Why were you taking to Naruto Uzumaki?" Neji asks, glancing back at the blond who was talking with Kiba.

They cross through the gate and continue walking home as Hinata answers his question, "Because he's my friend."

Neji sighs, knowing anything he said wouldn't change her mind, "I hope you know what your doing Hinata."

The bluenette glances at him, "Of course I know what I'm doing, I'm making new friends."

Neji groans, "Does your father know about this?" He asks.

Hinata smiles brightly, "Of course he knows! I told him I'd be making friends with Naruto, and that I didn't care what the council thinks," she says.

Neji sighs, rubbing between his eyes, "Why do I even bother with you?"

"I don't know, I'd think you'd know by now that I don't give up," Hinata says with a shrug, "What's the harm anyways?"

Neji gives her a stern look, matching his voice, "If I catch you playing a prank with that boy, then I will personally make sure you are never able to see him again."

Hinata blinks at him, silence surrounding them both before Hinata bursts into laughter, "I would never Neji! In fact, I'll be stopping him from pulling pranks! Don't you think he'd change with our influence?"

Neji nods after a moment, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Neji-Nii-San, you can be such a mom sometimes," Hinata says, muffling her laughter.

Neji freezes, a shadow passing over his face as he turns to her with a frightening glare, "What did you just call me?"

The guards at the gate of the Hyuuga compound stand there quietly, bored as they made small talk, when they saw a cloud of dust approaching them quickly, "W-What is that!"

Time seems to slow down as the guards see the face of Hinata Hyuuga, _the heiress_, running passed them, Neji Hyuuga right behind her with a frightening expression painted clear on his face, _'What the heck just happened?' _The two guards think.

Hizashi and Hiashi blink, the two were calmly drinking tea in the garden when Hinata and Neji suddenly appeared, Neji looked ready to murder Hinata, and the heiress looked ready to pee with how red her face was, and they both could tell it wasn't from running, but from holding back laughter.

The two kids freeze when they notice their father's and both straighten up and bow, "Hiashi-Sama," the two say.

"Hinata, Neji," Hiashi says, "Continue with what your doing, just be careful."

Neji frowns, "I apologize for my behavior, I'll see you later for Hinata-Sama's training session," Neji says before heading inside the house.

Hinata giggles sheepishly before bowing and heading inside as well.

"Were you really gonna let them continue running?" Hizashi asks.

"It was a test, and your son passed," is all Hiashi says.

Hizashi doesn't comment, and the two continue to sit down in silence.

**_Line Break_**

Hinata stretches out beside Neji, the older of the two having calmed down long ago, "That was close," Hinata says with a sheepish grin, "I'm glad you chose to drop it and head inside."

Neji glares at her, "Unlike _you_, I have a level head..and a conscience."

Hinata pouts, "I have a level head and a conscience too, but the difference between us is I know how to relax and have fun."

Neji rolls his eyes, "Whatever, next time you call me a mom I will seriously hurt you."

Hinata holds back her laughter, adopting a serious expression, "Yes sir."

Neji shoots her another glare and Hinata muffles her laughter behind her hand again.

"Stand up Hinata, let's spar," Neji says, moving into his stance.

Hinata quickly slides into her own and the two run at each other, Byakugan activated, and chakra flaring to life on their hands.

Hiashi and Hizashi watch them, both impressed with how far they've come.

"They'll make exceptional leaders," Hizashi says.

"Yes they will, with Hinata leading, and Neji by her side, they will no doubt succeed in whatever they have planned," Hiashi states, "And I'm sure, one way or another, Hinata will somehow stop the council from placing a cursed seal on Hanabi."

Hanabi, only four years old at this time, sat off to the side, watching Hinata and Neji spar, "Hina-nee-Chan is so amazing," Hanabi whispers in awe, _'I'm gonna be just as strong as her one day!'_

She was to mesmerized by the spar to hear what Hiashi and Hizashi were saying, she didn't really care anyways, she was here just to watch her Hina-nee-Chan!

Hinata slides underneath Neji's attack and swipes his feet from underneath him, Neji hits the training mats letting out a wheeze as the breath is knocked from him, "Good move Hinata," he says once he gets up.

Hinata beams, "Thanks Neji!" The heiress moves over to where Hanabi sat, and plops down in front of her, "What did Hana-chan think?" Hinata asks.

Hanabi smiles brightly, "I think Hina-nee-Chan is amazing! And that one day I wanna be as strong as you!"

Hinata beams and hugs Hanabi tightly, "That means so much to me Hana-Chan! No doubt you'll be even stronger than I am one day!"

"Hanabi start warming up, your training will begin soon," Hiashi says.

Hanabi pouts, before brightening up, "Can Hina-nee-Chan stay and watch??" Hanabi asks.

"Of course!" Hinata answers happily, "I'll trade places with you, now go and stretch."

"Right!" The four year old stands up and hurried to the mats to stretch and warm up.

Hinata watched her with a smile, noting Neji and Hizashi left already, probably to do their own training.

The older girl was shocked by how easily Hanabi learned the gentle fist, and a proud smile appears on her face watching her spar against Hiashi, _'I'm so proud of you Hana-Chan, I know that one day you'll be even stronger than I am.'_

**_To be continued.._**

**AN: Another chapter of _Altered _I feel like this story is all can I write right now.**

**A special thank you to CrazyChimera for reviewing again! I love your reviews and they inspire me so much, I'm so happy you continue to enjoy each chapter and I hope you like this one even more!**

**More special thank you's to Damonian and LuvsOtis for following, and a thank you to Rhein for favoriting, and more thank You's to luciaaa, Hikari Light Uchiha, and SenketsuFangirl for both following and favoriting _Altered_.**

**All the support everyone's given the story makes me so happy and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**See y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	5. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Five**

Hinata beams at Neji, her smile wide and proud, as she stood outside the gate waiting for Neji to walk over to her, he was talking with two of his classmates.

A male with black shiny hair in a braid, round black eyes, and pale skin, he wore a white short sleeved shirt, a black martial arts belt, and dark pants, and he wore a forehead protector and ninja sandals.

And a female with dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and tan skin, she wore a sleeveless pink turtleneck and dark green pants, with a forehead protector and ninja sandals.

By Neji's pinched and annoyed expression, Hinata could tell that they approached him first, and she was happy that they approached him in the first place, _'For some reason...I feel like he's going to be stuck with them,' _Hinata thinks to herself.

Neji finally gets passed the two and makes his way to Hinata, showing off his brand new forehead protector.

Hinata beams at him, and Neji scowls, "Why do I feel like you feel like a proud mother?" He asks.

Hinata giggles, "That's exactly how I feel!"

Neji groans, "I can't believe you said that."

"What's wrong with being honest?" Hinata asks, Neji rolls his eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with it Hinata," Neji says, "Honesty is a good quality."

Hinata beams, "But pride isn't," Neji adds.

Hinata looks over at him, "Pride? I'm not prideful.."

Neji sighs, "I know I can be arrogant and prideful, and I really don't care what others think, but you care what others think about you, and when someone thinks of a Hyuuga, they immediately think of a know-it-all, arrogant, prideful person."

Hinata frowns, "I'm very aware of how others view our Clan Neji-nii-San."

"I know you are, but Hinata; you need to understand that people view us that way because that's how Hyuuga's act, including you," Neji says, "And while your definitely not like any other Hyuuga, you have your prideful moments."

Hinata looks away, "I know, and I'm ashamed of it, do you know how proud I was of myself for getting the top grade on my test? I smiled so widely it hurt...and I could feel some of my classmates glares on me."

Neji sighs, "We Hyuuga's have been gifted by our eyes and our natural talents..and our hair, but we've also been cursed with Hyuuga pride and arrogance, something your father taught you is good to have."

Hinata nods, "I know, and I agree with you, but it wasn't just my father, yours to, and of course the council, and our clansmen, it's something we can't help."

"I'm glad you agree with me, because accepting that part of you is the first step in overcoming it," Neji says.

"Neji-nii-San, are you trying to get over your pride?" Hinata asks, "Because your going to be placed on a team?"

Neji nods, "Yes..sometimes I want to be more like you Hinata, you get along with others well, and you have very good qualities, but then again, I do not think I could bare having Hiashi as a father, the weight of responsibility on your shoulders is far to much for one person to carry, which is why we will be going through this together."

Hinata smiles at him, "Thank you Neji."

**_Line Break_**

Hinata has never been more glad to know how to deal with Neji's moods than now, because when he got back from his first meeting with his new ninja team, his expression was absolutely murderous.

"I'm on a team with Tenten and Rock Lee," Neji says, "The two who stopped and talked to me after the test," he adds after seeing Hinata's confusion.

"Oh! The two who approached you? That's good!" Hinata says, "But why do you look five seconds away from killing someone?"

"Because of our Sensei...Gai Maito," Neji says, the disgust in his voice was obvious.

Hinata narrows her eyes in thought, "He sounds familiar..I think I've heard of him before...The Green Beast Of Konoha?" Hinata says.

Neji scowls, "That sounds about right."

"I read about him, he's one of the strongest Jounin! He can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu very well, but his Taijutsu can't be beat!" Hinata exclaims, "Your lucky to have such an amazing Sensei!"

Neji shakes his head, "No I am not, the only thing I got out of his introduction was that he's obsessed with youth! And you should've seen Rock Lee's face! I fear he will turn into Gia's mini me! I don't need to see two people dressed in skin tight green jumpsuits with horrible looking bowl cuts everyday!"

Hinata blinks, "That was a mouthful."

Neji glares at her, "Your not helping at all."

"What am I supposed to say?!"

Neji sighs, "You know what? I'll suck it up, and I'll ignore them both."

"What about Tenten?" Hinata suddenly asks, "You only mentioned Gai and Rock Lee..."

"Oh, she's obsessed with weapons," Neji says with a dismissive shrug.

Hinata sweat drops, "You know Neji...you need to work on your social skills, and then get to know your teammates, and then form a bond!"

"You didn't need to work on your social skills to befriend your friends," Neji grumbles.

Hinata smiles, "Technically, I worked on my skills as I went on, and you should do the same! Ask your teammates about what they like, share some of your own interests too."

"No, I'll stick with my pride and arrogance," Neji says, "I would rather not have anything more to do with them than I already do."

Hinata sighs, "Right...good luck with that."

**_Line Break_**

Hinata walks into her classroom and makes her way to the back, and takes her normal seat beside Shino, "Good morning Shino-San! How are you today?"

"I'm good Hinata-San, and you?" Shino asks quietly.

"I'm good! Though Neji-Nii-San is being a pain in the butt," she mutters the second half under her breath.

"Tell Neji-San congratulations for me. Why? Because he has gained the title of Genin," Shino says.

"I will! I'm sure he'll be happy to hear it," Hinata says.

Kiba snorts, having taken the seat in front of Shino, "I highly doubt it, he has a stick so far up his butt he can't even talk to people properly."

"K-Kiba-San!"

"That was uncalled for Kiba-San. Why? Because your words can hurt others," Shino states.

Kiba rolls his eyes, "Sorry Hinata, sometimes I say stuff without thinking."

"It's called being brash and impulsive," Shikamaru says, he and Choji sitting in the row beside Hinata and Shino's, "And unfortunately..it's most of your personality."

Hinata stares at him in shock, _'Why is everyone deciding to insult each other today! Even Shikamaru-San!'_

Hinata rests her head on her arms, trying to block out the insults, which seem to double when Naruto arrives and takes the seat next to Kiba, _'Oh dear.'_

At lunch time everyone's calmed down and is eating peacefully, Hinata and Shikamaru playing a game of Shogi, the usual for the group.

"Why was everyone so irritable this morning?" Hinata asks.

"It's early in the morning and we are forced to learn, what's more irritable than that?" Kiba asks, chewing on a piece of jerky, while Akamaru rested on his head.

"Kiba's right," Naruto says, "Mornings are the worst."

"Mornings are troublesome," Shikamaru adds, agreeing with the other two boys.

Choji shrugs, not really having an opinion on the matter, while Shino stays quiet, "Actually, I like mornings. Why? Because I can see species of beetles earlier in the morning that don't come out during the day," the Aburame says after a moment.

"I like mornings, I eat breakfast, get in some morning training, and spend time with Hanabi," Hinata says.

"Ugh..your even positive in the morning...it's disgusting," Kiba groans.

Shikamaru smirks as he makes his winning move and Hinata pouts, "I don't think I'll ever beat you Shikamaru-San."

**_Line Break_**

Hinata runs through the stances, taking quiet and even breaths to calm herself, she used the afternoons when Hiashi trained Hanabi, and Neji was out training with his team, or on missions, for personal training.

She mostly worked on her own version of the Gentle Fist, she ran through the stances one more time before taking a break.

_'With Neji-Nii-San training and going on missions all the time..and Hana-Chan and father training, I have almost too much time to myself,' _Hinata thinks.

It's been about two months since Neji graduated, and the eleven year old misses his almost constant presence in her life, _'I almost wish he hadn't graduated,' _she thinks, before slapping her hands against either side of her face, _'Don't think like that Hinata! Neji-Nii-San rightfully earned his position as a Genin and we need to support him!'_

"Even if we get lonely sometimes," Hinata whispers out loud, sitting on the ground and holding her knees to her chest.

She then suddenly brightens up as an idea forms in her mind, _'Tomorrow during lunch, I can ask if my friends want to hang out after the academy is over!'_

Hinata stands and begins her cool down, _'I'll ask father after dinner,' _she thinks.

Hiashi raises a brow, "You want to..'hang out' with your friends tomorrow?" He asks.

"Yes," Hinata confirms, "..please?"

Hiashi sighs, "Alright, do what you want."

"Yes!" Hinata says happily, "Thank you father!" She quickly hugs him before leaving the office.

**_Line Break_**

"Hang out after school?" Kiba asks, "Sure, I don't have anything better to do."

"I can come as well Hinata-San," Shino says quietly.

"It's a drag, but I can hang out," Shikamaru says with a tired yawn, Choji nods as well.

Naruto practically bursts with excitement, "Of course!!! What're we gonna do?!"

Hinata's mind goes blank, "..I don't know."

"We can figure out something, don't worry about that Hinata," Kiba says.

Once they were sent home for the day, the six eleven years old decided to take a walk around Konoha.

They just talked and eventually stopped at a dango shop for a snack, then went to the park.

The six settled underneath a tree, "I can't believe we are graduating next year," Kiba says, "The academy goes by so quickly."

Shikamaru groans, "Don't remind me, graduating is such a drag, it's just a reminder that me and Choji will be stuck on a team with Ino for most of our ninja careers," he says.

"Yamanaka-San seems nice," Hinata says awkwardly, trying to cheer him up.

Kiba snorts, "Good luck with her..at least your not stuck on a team with Sakura, I wouldn't be able to handle hearing her talk about Sasuke all day."

Naruto glares at the Inuzuka, "Don't talk about Sakura-Chan that way! I would want to be on her team!"

Kiba shrugs, "Whatever you say Naruto."

Shino adjusts his glasses, "I'd prefer to be on a team with my friends. Why? Because team work is necessary on a team, and I would want to get along well with my teammates."

Hinata beams, "We can be on a team Shino-San!"

"You can't choose your teams," Kiba says.

"You to Kiba-San!" The Inuzuka sweat drops, Akamaru yaps happily from his place in Hinata's lap.

"What about me Hinata-Chan?" Naruto whines.

"Usually Genin teams are two boys and one girl, if you want Haruno-San on your team I can't be your teammate," Hinata explains, "Though I'd love to be your teammate Naruto-San!"

Naruto brightens up, "Thanks Hinata-Chan!"

"Hey Hinata, isn't that your cousin?" Kiba asks, pointing at Neji...who was walking on his hands along with Rock Lee and Tenten, they were trying to keep up with, who Hinata assumed to be their Sensei, Gai Maito.

Hinata gapes, "Oh my..."

Naruto and Kiba burst out laughing while Shikamaru snorts at the scene, Shino watches quietly and Choji just eats his chips.

Hinata starts giggling as well and soon their all laughing, with the exception of Shino who settles with a smile.

**_Line Break_**

Hinata bursts out giggling when she see's Neji, who just got back from training, "Whats so funny Hinata!?"

Hinata forces back her laughter, "I didn't expect Gai to be so lively...and I didn't know you could walk on your hands."

Neji pales as Hinata runs away laughing.

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: I'm so sorry that this chapter came so late, but I am back, I've been busy with school work, and I just got back from a vacation..so yeah.**

**A special thank you to CrazyChimera for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the chapter and I'm glad Hinata and Neji made you smile, they make me smile to! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

**Another special thank you to LB Cat for reviewing too! I'm glad you like the story and that your not against the view point, I don't try to make it seem like meeting Naruto is a curse, I just haven't really gotten into the downsides of growing up in the Hyuuga household quite yet.**

**Special thank you's to RedSky8, faith19961, Aloreaii, songohan912, starlight luna, Thelonewolf87, and mynintendo, for following and favoriting _Altered_. I know I usually seperate them but it's easier this way.**

**Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review and I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	6. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Six**

The class of upcoming ninja buzzed with excitement and the nervous energy was overwhelming.

Hinata kept an indifferent expression on her face, trying to hide her slight nervousness, though she knew both Shino and Shikamaru could see it.

Naruto looked depressed, "I can't believe the final test is the freaking _Clone__ Jutsu."_

Kiba winces and places a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "I'm sorry dude, but don't worry, I'll become a top ninja for you."

Naruto glares at him and Kiba laughs sheepishly looking away.

Hinata frowns, "I looked over you with my Byakugan, you have an abnormal amount of chakra for your age, I think you use to much when you try to create clones, just focus on using the least amount of chakra you can during the test," Hinata suggests, she doesn't have better advice than that and she mentally kicks herself for being such a bad friend.

"You aren't a bad friend because you don't have the answer to his problem Hinata. Why? Because we don't know everything, we are only ninja in training, and this test decides whether or not we can become Genin," Shino says.

Hinata gives him a small smile, she knew Shino was perceptive, and the fact he could read her so easily was a good example of their friendship.

"We have lunch before the test right? Practice during lunch, even if it's a drag," Shikamaru says with a lazy yawn.

Hinata nods in agreement, "Yes! That's a good idea!" She agrees, "And extra practice isn't always a drag, it can be very helpful Shikamaru-San!"

Shikamaru shrugs in response, "Whatever ya say Hinata."

At lunch, Naruto attempted the Clone Jutsu while the others watched, a pitiful black and white lump appeared beside him, Naruto slumps over in defeat.

Hinata winces, "You use to much chakra," she says, "Try using as little as possible."

Naruto tries, and while the clone comes out a little better, it still isn't good enough.

"Maybe you have a problem with chakra control?" Kiba suggests.

Naruto groans, "I'm terrible at that stuff! I'm never gonna pass the Genin test!!"

Hinata smiles at him, "Just picture yourself using the least amount of chakra possible, and create a clone!"

Naruto tries again, and the clone came out in color, but didn't look very good, "Ugh..."

"It's better than before, it's got your signature orange!" Kiba says, trying to cheer him up, Akamaru whines at the sorry attempt.

Naruto plops down in frustration and starts eating his lunch, "I guess I'll have to take the graduation test again," he says with a frown, "I won't be able to become a Genin with everyone."

Kiba suddenly grins, "Maybe Shino can drain all your chakra down, and then you'll have no choice but to make a successful clone!"

Shikamaru slaps the back of the Inuzuka's head, "Idiot."

Kiba pouts, "It was a joke."

"A very, very bad one," Choji says, finishing off his bag of chips.

The rest of lunch passes in silence, as all six contemplate on how Naruto can pass the Genin test.

**_Line Break_**

Hinata tugged at the forehead protector resting around her neck, she, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Shino were waiting for Naruto to finally come out.

When he did, the five saw his sad expression, and that he had no forehead protector, and all five of them shared the same expression.

"No amount of Ichiraku will help us with this," Kiba says, Akamaru whimpering in agreement.

Hinata's expression turns to confusion when Mizuki, one of the Chunin that ran the test along with Iruka, approached the blond.

"Did Mizuki ever show any expression other than contempt when he looked at Naruto?" Hinata suddenly asks.

"No..why?" Kiba asks.

"Because he just approached Naruto and the two left together," Shikamaru says, eyeing where the two had been, "That can't be good."

The four boys look to Hinata who activates her Byakugan, "I see them, Mizuki and Naruto-San are sitting on a balcony of an abandoned building, they are talking but I don't know what they are saying."

"How's Naruto acting?" Choji asks, "Maybe that can give you insight on what they are talking about?"

"Hmm, Mizuki said something and Naruto-San left..should we follow?" Hinata asks.

The group looks at each other, sharing similar expressions, "I don't think I can, my mom will be seriously mad if I don't come home soon," Kiba says uneasily, Akamaru barking in agreement, "I'll see you all tomorrow for pictures!" He adds before leaving.

Shino adjusts his glasses, "I must go now too, why? Because my parents will worry if I don't come home soon," he waves before heading off as well.

"Mom will be mad if I don't come back soon too, she really wants to know if I passed or not, see ya tomorrow," Shikamaru says with a yawn, "Don't worry too much, Naruto will be fine."

Choji smiles at Hinata and walks off after the lazy Nara.

Hinata heads off after they leave, _'I stayed behind a bit later than usual but father shouldn't worry too much,' _Hinata thinks as she walks home, _'I really hope Naruto-San is okay, I know Iruka and the Hokage will be watching over him.'_

Hinata arrives home, the guards at the gate bowing in respect before letting her pass, she heads inside the Main House and takes her sandals off, slipping into house shoes before heading to her father's office.

She knocks on the door and heads inside once Hiashi gives his okay, Hinata enters and bows respectfully before standing tall, showing him her new forehead protector, and proof of her knew status as Genin.

Hiashi nods, a small smile on his face, "Good job Hinata, I had no worries you wouldn't pass, your a Hyuuga after all, and my daughter no less."

Hinata beams, "Thank you father!"

"You should show Hanabi, I believe she's waiting for you in your room," Hiashi says, a flash of amusement appearing in his eyes, Hinata barely catches it before it's gone.

"Of course," Hinata bows once more before leaving.

She enters her room and sees Hanabi sitting on her bed spacing off, obviously having waited there a long time, "Hana-Chan?" Hinata asks, walking over and poking the side of Hanabi's head.

Hanabi is brought out of her thoughts and gives Hinata a wide smile when she notices her and hugs her older sister tightly, "Congratulations Hina-Nee-Chan!! I knew you would pass without a doubt! Your the strongest person I know!"

Hinata giggles and hugs Hanabi back, "Thank you Hana-Chan," she pets down Hanabi's hair, "Have you had dinner yet?"

"I wanted to wait for Hina-Nee-Chan and eat with you," Hanabi responds.

"Alright, let's go eat then, to become a strong ninja you can't miss any meals," Hinata says, Hanabi immediately stands and drags her sister out of the room and to the dining room, Hinata giggling at her sister's antics.

**_Line Break_**

"Where's Nee-Chan going so early in the morning?" Hanabi asks, rubbing her eyes.

It was the next day and Hinata was already up, having eaten breakfast earlier, and dressed in her full ninja gear.

"I'm heading over to the academy for my ninja ID picture Hana-Chan," Hinata explains.

Hinata was dressed in her ninja outfit, the one she'd wear out with her team for training and missions.

She wore her forehead protector around her neck, the navy blue material complimenting her pale skin and shoulder length dark blue hair.

Her outfit consisted of a sleeveless light purple turtleneck shirt, she wrapped her arms from her hands up to her elbows in bandages, she wore black knee length shorts with a kunai pouch attached to her right leg, and a weapons pouch hanging on her left hip. She wore ninja shoes that were dark blue matching her forehead protector, with her ankles wrapped in bandages in case of a sprain*.

Hanabi really liked Hinata's outfit, it was really cute and complimented her, "Hina-Nee-Chan looks super cute!"

Hinata giggles and hugs her little sister, "Thank you Hana-Chan," Hinata lightly kisses her sisters forehead, "I'll see Hana-Chan later when I get back."

Hanabi hugs her older sister again before letting her go, and watching her leave the house.

Hanabi hurries to the kitchen to eat breakfast, she had training in a couple hours and she needed to be ready for it.

The six year old smiles to herself, _'Hina-Nee-Chan looked like a professional ninja in her gear, I wonder what team she'll be placed on...'_

_**Line Break**_

Hinata headed inside the academy, making her way to one of the classrooms where Iruka and the Hokage were sitting inside, "Iruka-Sensei, Hokage-Sama," Hinata bows respectfully after entering the room.

"Hinata-San," Iruka smiles at her, "The photographer is waiting outside to take your picture, once it's been printed bring it back inside so we can give it our final approval," he explains.

"Yes Iruka-Sensei," Hinata is shocked, and concerned, by seeing her Sensei's neck wrapped in bandages..and the fact he was wearing a new forehead protector, _'I wonder what happened...did he lose his old forehead protector..?'_

Hinata heads outside and the photographer motions her over and quickly takes her picture.

The Third Hokage smiles at her, "This is a very good picture Hinata-San..are you excited to be placed on your ninja teams tomorrow along with the rest of your classmates?" He asks.

"Yes Hokage-Sama, I hope I'm placed with my friends," Hinata answers with a small smile, "I think myself, Kiba-San, and Shino-San would make a good search and tracking team..Shikamaru-San initially brought up the idea since Kiba-San has his natural tracking skills and Akamaru, and Shino's bugs..." Hinata trails off, blushing in embarrassment at having blabbed on in front of the Hokage.

Hiruzen chuckles, "No need to be embarrassed Hinata-San, your free to go now...and tell your father I said hi."

"Right Hokage-Sama," Hinata stands and bows once more, "I'll see you tomorrow Iruka-Sensei," the bluenette quickly leaves the room.

Heading out of the academy, Hinata's slightly disappointed at not seeing her friends, but guesses they'd either already gone and taken their ID picture, or would be going a bit later since she herself had gotten there early.

Thinking about it more Hinata deduced Shino was probably one of the first to get his picture taken, and Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji would go later.

Hinata taps her chin in a thoughtful manner as she walked home, _'I wonder if Neji-Nii-San is training right now...Byakugan!' _In her range of vision Hinata could see Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee training under Gai's watchful eyes, _'I still can't believe Neji was right about Rock Lee adapting Gai's outfit...he really is Gai-San's mini me.'_

Hinata deactivates her Byakugan and focuses on getting home, she might go and get some training done before Hiashi and Hanabi take over the training room for their morning session.

When she got home she changed out of her gear and into her traditional training outfit, one that matched Hanabi's own, and headed to the dojo to start stretching.

_'Tomorrow I am placed on my own team and I become an official Genin,' _Hinata thinks to herself, a small smile on her face, _'And I can't wait to see where the next step in my ninja career takes me!'_

_**To be continued...**_

**AN: It's almost one in the morning and I'm finishing up this chapter...I guess you can say I have a problem lol.**

***Because Hinata's flexibility is a big factor in her ****fighting style she needs to wear a more form fitting, practical outfit as to not get in her way, me and my Beta came up with her new look and we hope you all like it!**

**Thanks for all the reviews everyone! You don't know how much I smiled...like it literally hurt my cheeks.**

**To Guest (1): Once again I apologize for the long wait, the new chapter came quickly once I had figured out what I wanted to write, and I agree with you, I can't wait for the action to begin! And I guess you'll have to wait til next chapter to see if the teams are different or the same!**

**To LB Cat: I try my best in the humor department, though it seems to come off as dry but that's just me, and of course I won't take offense to your opinion! I really love your reading your thoughts on my story they inspire to me right better..and faster lol.**

**To Guest (2): Hehe, thanks! I can't wait to see what happens next either lol!**

**To Hinatapaths: I'm glad you love my story! Your review made me blush, I was so happy. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

**A special thank you to Hinatapaths and Sorra Boo for favoriting my story, I hadn't received the notifications and I apologize for not acknowledging it earlier.**

**Thank you for all the reviews everyone and I hope you all continue to enjoy _Altered_ and don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review!**

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Important Note: I am not using this fan fiction to bash Ino or Sakura. In fact I actually very much like both of them...it's just that they haven't been shown in the fic much because Hinata avoids anything involving Sasuke. So if your a fan of them, please don't be offended by how I portray their characters at the moment. Because it will get better, I promise.**

**Chapter Seven**

The day the future Rookie Nine graduated was loud and chaotic, just as expected.

Hinata sat in the back beside Shino as they waited for Kiba to arrive, Shikamaru and Choji sat in the row next to them as usual.

"Where's Kiba-San?" Hinata asks, "Shouldn't he be here already?"

"Hinata-San, Kiba will be here soon. Why? Because he wouldn't miss this day for the world," Shino says.

"Shino's right!" Kiba yells, suddenly appearing in front of them, Akamaru barking in agreement atop his head, "My mom would kill me if I missed graduation day...and I can't wait to be placed on a team!"

Hinata giggles and Shikamaru sighs, "Glad you have your priorities straight Kiba," the Nara drawls.

Kiba glares at him, "Dont give me that sarcastic crap! Your mom is worse than mine is!"

"Women are troublesome..and so are you," Shikamaru replies with a lazy yawn.

Kiba growls, but is cut off as sheer surprise suddenly replaces his anger.

Following his eyes, the other four are shocked as well, there at the door, Naruto stood with both hands on his hips, grinning wide and proud with Iruka's forehead protector displayed proudly on his forehead.

_'So that's where it went...I can't think of a better way to lose it Sensei,' _Hinata thinks as a smile appears on her face, "Naruto-San!" She waves him over and Naruto starts walking over.

But the sound of two pre-teen females yelling at the top of their lungs ruins the moment.

"I WIN!" Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno yell at the same time, huffing and panting heavily as they slumped over in front of the door.

The best friends turned rivals glares at each other, until something caught the green eyes of the pinkette who visibly brightened up.

Unfortunately for her, the object of her affections was behind Naruto, who was staring back at her, as if he was actually who she was staring at.

Hinata watched as Sakura made a bee line towards Naruto, and she was confused until she saw her classmate shove Naruto out of the way to get to Sasuke...and she felt something inside of her just..snap.

Hinata stood up with a bang, gaining everyone's attention, all eyes were on the weird, quiet girl who sat in the back as she glared at Sakura, Byakugan activated on instinct making her look more intimidating.

"How dare you push Naruto aside like that! He's my friend and he deserves respect!" Hinata states, her voice louder than usual.

Kiba smirks and stands, "Heck yeah! Don't push my friend around Sakura! He doesn't deserve the crap he puts up with you!"

"It's a drag to put in any effort whatsoever, but don't bother Naruto, Sakura," Shikamaru says, he doesn't stand though, and Choji nods his agreement beside his best friend.

Shino adjusts his glasses, about to speak as well, but as usual everyone but his friends forgot he was there and he was swiftly cut off by the enraged and embarrassed pinkette.

Sakura stands and points her finger at Hinata, "Don't to talk to me like that! You don't put up with Naruto bothering you all day so you don't have a say in anything! Besides, Naruto was in the way of me seeing my Sasuke-Kun!"

"I'm sure Sasuke was grateful for that," Kiba mutters.

"Will you all shut up. Your giving me a headache," Sasuke says in low and very much annoyed tone.

"S-Sorry Sasuke-Kun," Sakura says, a light embarrassed blush staining her cheeks.

Naruto glares at Sasuke, it doesn't matter if Sakura hits him! He still likes her! And Sasuke effortlessly gets her attention by insulting her? Nonsense! This wouldn't stand!

So Naruto stood instead, and jumped onto his desk, and jumped down onto Sasuke's, landing in front of the gloomy pre-teen himself, glaring at him, Sasuke gladly glared back in response.

"Oh dear," Hinata says, "I hope they don't start another fight."

"That's what your worried about? You just found the courage to stand up for Naruto! That was amazing Hinata!" Kiba states.

Hinata smiles brightly, "Thanks Kiba-Kun!" She doesn't even notice the change in the way she addressed him, "And of course I stood up for Naruto-Kun! He's our friend and he doesn't deserve Sakura's bad treatment of him!"

At this exact moment, a real tragedy occurs, the boy sitting in front of Sasuke turns and elbows Naruto, the blond falls forward and kisses Sasuke...on the lips.

The entire class freezes.

Hinata's face turns a bright red and she faints, having still been standing, her body makes a dull thud as it hits the ground.

Kiba bursts into gut wrenching laughter, Choji's shocked enough to stop snacking, Shikamaru raises a brow, "I knew he didn't like girls but I didn't know Sasuke swung that way," the Nara murmurs.

Shino adjusts his glasses once more, a chilling aura surrounding the Aburame, _'Why do they always forget about me?'_

And then every girl in the classroom snapped, except for the unconscious Hyuuga, and the most violent of beatings was set upon Naruto.

Kiba was wheezing when Iruka finally entered and saw Naruto beaten up and bruised beside the red faced Inuzuka.

An even darker aura surrounded the Uchiha, and his fans. Iruka wasn't sure but Hinata appeared to be light headed and disconcerted. Something Iruka never thought he'd see from a Hyuuga.

Choji was snacking normally and the Nara beside him looking ready for a nap, whatever happened when Iruka wasn't looking must've taken a lot out of him.

And Shino seemed to have a chilling atmosphere surrounding him, Iruka wondered if someone forgot he was there again.

Iruka cleared his throat and gave the newly minted Genin a bright, warm, and most of all _proud_ smile, "Good morning class, today I'm proud to say that you've all earned your titles of Genin and will be placed on teams of three led by a Jounin Sensei, but first, I have a few words to share with you all..."

Once Iruka finished his speech, he began listing off all the teams.

When Hinata realized there was only nine of them left, Iruka began announcing the last three teams, "Team Seven, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto and Sakura cheered, Ino cried out dramatically, Sasuke closed his eyes, seemingly accepting his fate, and Hinata smiled for Naruto, happy that he got what he wanted.

"Team Eight, Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuuga, and Shino Aburame."

That morning, after hearing those blessed words, Hinata Hyuuga smiled the biggest smile in the world, similarly Kiba showed off his canines in a wide grin, along with a happy Akamaru who barked cheerfully, and Shino adjusted his glasses once more, the atmosphere surrounding him disappearing in the light of the news, and a small smile appeared on the Aburame's face.

Iruka announced the final team, one that was completely expected by the three Genin, no matter how much the two of them wanted the words to be completely wrong, "Team Ten, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akamichi, and Ino Yamanaka."

Ino cries out dramatically, "Nooooo, why do I have to be stuck with _them_! They are the worst possible teammates ever!"

Before Hinata could stand and protect her friends once more, Shikamaru says, "I'm not fairing much better, having to hear you talk about Sasuke every time I come here gives me a worse enough headache, now I have to deal with you on a daily basis, what a drag."

Kiba snickers and earns a glare from the irritated blond.

Sakura smirks arrogantly, turning in her seat to face the upset Yamanaka, "I told you I'd be on the same team as my Sasuke-Kun, I'm sure your new teammates will be good enough for a low standard kunoichi such as yourself Ino-Pig."

Ino glares at her, "How dare you!" She yells indignantly, "I'm a way better kunoichi than you will ever be Forehead-Girl! You'll probably get Sasuke-Kun killed!"

Iruka's head suddenly grows big as he yells, "SIT BACK DOWN AND BE QUIET!"

The class immediately complies, as the rest of the fan girls had begun putting in their two cents and others had started talking,

"Come back and meet your Jounin Sensei's in one hour," Iruka states, seemingly calmer but the students knew the anger he hid behind his warm smile, the power of a Chunin, "Now go and eat lunch, and I advise you eat with your new teammates and get to know them more."

The class cleared out in an instant, only Hinata, Kiba and Shino remaining.

The three move to stand in front of Iruka, before bowing, "Thank you for teaching us all these years Iruka-Sensei!" The three say together, before standing up, "We won't forget what you've taught us," Hinata adds with a warm smile, "And we hope that we make you proud as all three of us march on and start our ninja careers as Team Eight."

Iruka tears up and gives them a warm and wobbly smile, "T-Thank you for allowing me to teach you three, and I'm very proud of how far all of you have come, now go and eat lunch," he says, wiping his eyes, his voice cracking.

Team Eight bows once more before leaving the room.

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: Wow..I reached 2k so quickly...next chapter we meet Team Eight's new Sensei! And y'all..it's about time we saw the impulsive and protective side of Hinata lol. ****And yes, I've kept the Rookie Nine the same as canon, cuz ya can't go wrong the original teams! Especially Team Eight!**

**To Crazy Chimera: Thank you for taking the time to review each chapter, even as a guest, it makes me so happy! I hope I've reached your expectations and that you enjoy this chapter!**

**A special thank you to Splaaash-attack and Blue2i for following _Altered _and another special thank you to firestar91 for favoriting and following _Altered _and myself as an author!**

**Don't forgot to tell me your thoughts by leaving a review! And don't forget to Favorite and Follow!**

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	8. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: Long AN at the end of the chapter.**

**Chapter Eight**

Hinata sat patiently in her seat, Shino sat quietly beside her, and Kiba sat in front of them, a few of their classmates chatted quietly as they all waited for their Jounin Sensei's to arrive.

The door opened and Iruka entered, followed by a few men and woman dressed in Jounin attire.

A man with brown hair, tan skin, and brown eyes stepped forward, he wore the Jounin attire, with two weapons in pouch's on his legs, "Team Ten," he says, Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino stand up, "Follow me," he then leaves the room, the three Genin walking out behind him.

The Jounin who had stood beside him steps forward, she's a beautiful woman with long raven hair, crimson eyes, pale skin, and red painted lips. She wore an outfit rather than the Jounin uniform, she was wearing a wrap dress, with a fishnet shirt underneath and one arm covered in a red sleeve, her hands were wrapped in bandages up to her forearms, and she wore open toed black ninja sandals, her forehead protector wrapped around her forehead like most ninja.

"Team Eight," she calls, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino stood up, and followed her out of the room.

The Jounin leads them to a training ground nearby the Academy, "I want you to tell me about yourselves, tell me your name, one thing you like, and what you think your specialty is," she explains, "I'll start, my name is Kurenai Yūhi, I like flowers, and I specialize in Genjutsu," Kurenai says.

When she doesn't motion any of them to speak, Kiba speaks up, "My name is Kiba Inuzuka, I like Akamaru, my partner in crime, and I like to think I am very good at tracking," the Inuzuka states.

"My name is Hinata Hyuuga, I like to train and hang out with my friends, and I specialize in close combat," Hinata says.

"My name is Shino Aburame, I like to search and find new species of beetles, and I am good at utilizing my kikaichu beetles and scouting," Shino says quietly.

Kurenai looks over them and nods, "You seem to know where your strengths lie and that's good, but now I have some bad news to tell you."

The three Genin stare at her in silence, confusion showing visibly on the Inuzuka's face, and only slightly on Hinata's, and Kurenai couldn't get much of a read on Shino.

"Twenty-Seven of you passed the Genin test, but only three teams will really become Genin, the chance of failure is high but if you three can pass my test, then your officially Genin, if not...your sent back to the academy, or even worse, can't become ninja if I think your not fit for it," Kurenai says with her arms crossed and staring at the Genin with a most serious expression.

Kiba and Hinata gape at her, and Shino's tense form slackens in surprise.

"Your test begins now," Kurenai pulls a kunai out, "You three have to defeat me."

**_Flashback_**

**_Kurenai stares at the three papers in her hands, they were the reports of her three new students, if they could pass her test and prove themselves._**

**_'Hinata Hyuuga, the Heiress of the Hyuuga Clan, Kiba Inuzuka, the youngest of Tsume Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame, the Heir of the Aburame Clan.' Kurenai sighs, "What will my team specialize in?" She asks._**

**_The Hokage smiles, "Isn't it obvious? Tracking and scouting, search and rescue, the Inuzuka's nose and tracking skills, the Hyuuga's Byakugan, and the Aburame's kikaichu and Clan Techniques."_**

**_Kurenai smiles uneasily, "Are you sure I'm the best suited for them? I don't think I'll connect with any of them...and I was recently promoted to Jounin, isn't it to soon for me to become a Sensei?"_**

**_The Third Hokage sighs, "I knew you would react this way, but Kurenai, you're a strong ninja and you've earned your rank as a Jounin, and I believe you are qualified to teach a team of young Genin," he states, "Hinata, Kiba, and Shino are already good friends, so you shouldn't have much of a problem compared to Asuma and Kakashi."_**

**_Kurenai looks down at the profiles, "I guess I have some people to visit then," she says quietly before leaving the Hokage's office._**

**_She visited Tsume first, the loud, tough, and sometimes scary Leader of the Inuzuka Clan, "Oh Kurenai, what brings you here?" Tsume asks._**

**_"I'm here to inform you that the Hokage as chosen me to be the Jounin leader of Kiba, along with his teammates Shino and Hinata," Kurenai explains, "As ninja they will be put in life thr-"_**

**_Tsume cuts her off, "Alright, while I am worried for my sons safety, I know you'll watch over him, and that Hinata and Shino will always have his back, if your heading to the Aburame's next say hi to Shibi for me."_**

**_Kurenai makes her way to the Aburame Clan compound next, and knocks on the door to Shibi Aburame's house._**

**_The Clan head opens the door, and is surprised to see a young Jounin there, "Is there something you need?" Shibi asks._**

**_"I'm Kurenai Yūhi, the Hokage has chosen me to be the Jounin Sensei of your son Shino, and his teammates Hinata and Kiba," Kurenai explains, "I'm sorry for suddenly appearing at your door like this."_**

**_Shibi nods, "It's alright Kurenai-San, thank you for letting me know, I know my son will be in good hands with his friends by his side, and with you as his Sensei, though we've just met I know you'll be a good teacher for my son."_**

**_Kurenai nods and gives him a smile before leaving, and moving onto the final parent, Hiashi Hyuuga, someone she really didn't want to deal with._**

**_Kurenai approached the gates, and after explaining her presence to the guards, they alerted a branch member who lead her through the Main House and to Hiashi's Office._**

**_"Come in," Hiashi calls from inside the room._**

**_He looks up and narrows his eyes when he sees Kurenai, "Who are you?"_**

**_"My name is Kurenai Yūhi, I apologize for suddenly appearing like this but the Hokage has chosen me to be the Jounin Sensei of Hinata and her teammates, Kiba and Shino. I came here to inform you of this and gain your approval, Tsume and Shibi have already given theirs," the Jounin explains._**

**_Hiashi nods in understanding, "Very well, I approve."_**

**_Kurenai falters slightly, from the picture she saw of Hinata, the girl looked fragile despite the skills that proved her worth as a Genin, "Your not worried for your daughter?"_**

**_Hiashi looks up at her, "Of course I am worried for my daughter Kurenai-San, but I also know that she's strong and worthy of becoming a Genin and being placed on a team, a team her two friends are on, Hinata will grow stronger under your tutelage and become an even more worthy Heiress of the Hyuuga, I have no doubts and neither should you..especially since you've never met her before and all you know is from a report given to you by the Hokage."_**

**_Kurena's eyes widen, but she bows and leaves the room. Outside the door the Branch member had left and leaning against the wall, sitting on the ground was the very topic of her conversation._**

**_Hinata looked up at her, "Hello Kurenai-Sensei," she says quietly, "I apologize for eavesdropping but I came to ask my father a question," the Young Hyuuga stood up and brushed her clothes off, "If you'll excuse me," she walks passed Kurenai and into Hiashi's office._**

**_Kurenai looks back at the door, 'For a Hyuuga, she wasn't what I was expecting.'_**

**_Kurenai left the compound and steeled herself for tomorrow when she would meet the rest of her team, 'I can do this, the Hokage believes in me, Three Clan Heads believe in me, for better or worse I am the Sensei of Team Eight and I will do my best.'_**

**_End of the Flashback_**

Hinata, Kiba, and Shino tense and all three grab a kunai, ready to defend themselves from Kurenai, who charges at them.

Kurenai forms a handsign, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" And two clones form on either side of her, the three Genin guard themselves with their kunai as Kurenai's and her clones attack.

Hinata's hand falters under the strength of her new Sensei, before she shoves her Sensei back and kicks the Jounin's stomach, who disappears in a cloud of smoke, _'What!! I thought the real Kurenai attacked me!'_

"Byakugan!" The familiar bloodline limit that she called upon never came and Hinata's eyes widen, _'M-My Byakugan isn't working?!?'_

Hinata looks around and realizes she couldn't hear the sounds of her teammates fighting anymore, and instead sees Kurenai standing before her again, another kunai ready, "Where is Kiba and Shino?!" She demands.

Kurenai's eyes narrow, "Don't worry about them right now, your fighting me for your position as a Genin...do you want to fail my test and go back to the academy, or worse..never become a ninja?"

Hinata's eyes steel with determination and she rushes forward, enhancing her palms with chakra, if she couldn't use her Byakugan, then she would fight and do her best to take down her Sensei without it.

Hinata rushes forward and thrusts a palm at Kurenai's shoulder who steps back and dodges the attack, she grabs Hinata's arm and throws her off balance and pins her to the ground, placing a kunai under the Hyuuga's neck, "Your easy to read, and you said that you specialized in Taijutsu?"

Hinata grits her teeth, and her eyes widen when she hears the thuds of her teammates hit the ground, she looks up and finds Kurenai's clones standing above their unconscious bodies.

She see's the cuts on their bodies...but no blood stains on the grass?

Everything suddenly becomes clear as Hinata covers her entire body with chakra and yells out, "Kai!"

Hinata blinks blearily and finds herself standing in the same position she was before Kurenai placed the Genjutsu over her, she looks on either side of her and sighs in relief seeing that Shino and Kiba were both okay.

"Congratulations, you pass," Kurenai says, "Shino broke out of the Genjutsu moments before you did, and I feel Kiba should break it soon as well."

Only moments later Kiba proved Kurenai correct as he blinked and shook his head, "You weren't kidding when you said you specialized in Genjutsu."

Kurenai chuckles, "No I was not, you three pass, and we will start training as Team Eight officially tomorrow morning at this training ground, meet here at 7 o'clock sharp and be prepared."

"Yes Kurenai-Sensei!" Kurenai smiles at them and watches the three Genin leave the training ground, _'Seems like I had nothing to worry about...these Genin will be very interesting to work with.'_

_**Line Break**_

"Your Genjutsu convinced you that you couldn't use your Byakugan?" Kiba asks.

"Yes, I couldn't activate it...it was a scary feeling," Hinata says honestly.

Shino nods in agreement, "Kurenai-Sensei's Genjutsu felt very real."

Kiba grins, "I'm excited for tomorrow."

Hinata smiles, "I am too, I wonder what Kurenai-Sensei has planned for us."

Shino adjusts his glasses, "I wonder as well. Why? Because I'm sure whatever Kurenai-Sensei has planned will improve our ninja skills and our skills as a team."

The group of three spot Team Ten up ahead, Shikamaru spots them and nods lazily at them, and Team Eight walks over to them.

Ino crosses her arms as she looks at Team Eight, "Why are you over here?" She asks.

"Shikamaru and Choji are our friends," Kiba says, "If you paid even the slightest attention to your teammates you'd know that."

Hinata gives Kiba a look of disapproval before focusing on Ino, "My name is Hinata Hyuuga, I don't believe we've been properly introduced to each other yet."

Ino looks the other girl up and down, "Your the quiet and weird girl who sits in the back...you blew up at Forehead-Girl didn't you?" She asks.

Hinata blushes in embarrassment, "I lost my temper..I just can't stand seeing Naruto get mistreated by others, he doesn't deserve that," she says, "I think I was a bit...nervous and jumpy this morning as well."

"Whatever, it was _really _funny to watch," Ino says, "And why would you be nervous at all? Your one of the top students in our class."

Hinata smiles at the compliment, "High expectations have been set for me as I am the Hyuuga Heiress..I was afraid of disappointing my family..and my friends."

Kiba snorts, "Like you could ever disappoint us! That's our job."

Hinata shakes her head, "You can never disappoint me, you are all perfect the way you are."

Choji smiles, while Shikamaru looks away with a light flush of embarrassment, Kiba flushes in embarrassment as well, and Shino shifts slightly.

Ino rolls her eyes, "Wow, that's the cheesiest thing I've heard all day," but she smiles at Hinata, "Since this is the first time we've ever talked, there's something that I've been wanting to tell you."

"What is it?" Hinata asks curiosity, unsure of what the Yamanaka would have to say to her.

"Your outfit is really cute," the Yamanaka says, "Hinata...I think we could be good friends, come by the flower shop when your not training, if I'm there we can hang out."

Hinata beams at the blond, "Thank you Ino-San! I would love to hang out with you," the bluenette answers cheerfully, happy to have made another friend.

Ino smiles as well, "By the way..did you get tested by your Sensei too?" She asks.

"Yeah, our Sensei put a Genjutsu over us, I guess we impressed her by how fast we all dispelled it," Kiba says.

Choji smiles, "Our Sensei tested out our skills as a team," the Akamichi says.

"He just took us to get barbecue too," Ino adds.

"What're you doing?" Shikamaru asks.

"We're just walking around, we are all excited as tomorrow is our first official day as Team Eight!" Hinata says.

"Same for us," Ino brightens up, "Let's go shopping!"

Shikamaru and Kiba immediately voiced their thoughts, which was no, and Choji sided with Shikamaru, while Shino inches closer to the boy's.

Ino scowls at them and grabs Hinata's hand, "We can leave the boys to do whatever they want! Let's go!" She then drags Hinata off.

"Poor Hinata," Kiba says, "Having to be stuck shopping with Ino."

"Troublesome women," Shikamaru mutters, "I'm gonna go watch the clouds."

He and Choji head to the Nara's favorite spot to watch the sky, Shino and Kiba tagging along.

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: Hello again! So I've decided on, more or less, an updating schedule. ****Every time I finish a chapter I almost immediately begin writing the next, so I will update twice a week, on Sunday's and Thursday's, sometimes a day or two late if I don't get to updating the story.**

***I am not sure what final test Asuma gave his team so you'll have to excuse my lack of information. But on that note, I'd like to hear your thoughts of Kurenai's test and what you thought of it, and I hope I kept her in character.**

**To Sorra Boo: I'm really glad you like the story and plot, and I'm happy you like my writing style as well! I can understand your confusion on the last chapter and I hope that the conversation with Ino clears it up. And about the fainting, the way I've written her up until now as that she is a lot more confident and calm than canon, and that her personality is much different, but growing up in the Hyuuga compound has made her introverted, and she rarely sees public displays of affection, especially between two males, these types of situations make her uncomfortable and the fact that Naruto, who likes Sakura and hates Sasuke, and Sasuke kissed shocked her, and thus she fainted. I hope this explanation clears up any confusion you may have.**

**To Crazy Chimera: I'm glad you liked the chapter and your excited for the training! It really begins next chapter so you'll have to wait and see how I handle the training.**

**To Splaaash-attack: I'm glad you liked the chapter and it appears you'll have to wait until next chapter to see where I take Team Eight.**

**To LB Cat: Yay! I'm glad I have the characters on point, and of course I added the humor, and Naruto isn't the only one able to fill others with determination! **

**A special thank you to Himeko63 for Favoriting and Following _Altered_, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Since this is a Hinata Centric story, I will not show as much Team Seven and Ten, and of course we'll see glimpses of the ever youthful Team Gai who's been missing these last few chapters. I'm not sure how long it will be until the Chunin Exams Arc. But me and my Beta already have a few ideas for what we'll be doing.**

**Also if there is a pairing you would like to see happen, my Beta has already given her opinion, please let me know! Right now I am not focusing on the romance, as the story and characters are developing and I've primarily shown friendship, which is a big part of the story but the pairings are important, and I am very open to any kind. But while I am not discriminate against LBGT, I am not yet comfortable with writing those types of pairings, I'll take them under consideration but I am more comfortable with straight pairings and I hope I don't offend anyone with this, since as of a few years ago I hadn't really thought of same sex couples as a thing, and while I love to read about them, I am not sure of how to write them.**

**As of now, it is undecided whether I will be taking this story into Shippuden, if you would like to see that let me know!**

**Don't forget to tell me your thoughts by reviewing! And don't forget to Favorite and Follow as well! **

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	9. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Nine**

Team Eight fell into a schedule that Kurenai planned almost effortlessly.

The morning started with warm ups, stretching and going on a run around Konoha, and then three hours of team training and synchronization, followed by one or two D-Rank missions, and then they were dismissed for the day.

The warm up had been taxing at first, but Team Eight got used to it, and then Kurenai made it a bit harder. Team training got better with time and then Kurenai upped that as well. And one or two turned to three when Team Eight was able to complete the missions more quickly.

The first day of training had been...a bit on the side of a problem.

Shino and Kiba, while friends for years, had polar opposite personalities and tended to disagree. Leaving Hinata to mediate the arguments as best as she could, and Kurenai only watched, wanting to have a good look at the friendship and bond between her three students.

The stretches took about ten minutes, and the lap around Konoha took fifteen minutes. Kurenai hadn't told them a particular pace, so Team Eight stuck together and ran at the best pace all three of them could keep up with.

While Naruto's stamina and chakra levels seemed to be unbeatable, Kiba had the second best in class.

Shino's intelligence and control over his beetles was nothing to scoff at, and while Hinata had him beat in the Taijutsu department, being teamed with her only made his skills grow.

Hinata's speed, stamina, and chakra levels grew with this new training, and she slowly refined her Taijutsu.

And Kurenai, well, her skills as a Genjutsu Mistress, enhanced all three's skills in that field.

The team training went a bit differently.

Hinata, Kiba, and Shino knew each other as friends, had a tight bond of friendship, and nothing could seperate them.

But that didn't translate to their team synchronization, while they had faint ideas of each other's skills, they never saw each other in battle before.

So Kurenai had a lot resting on her ability to increase their teamwork and ability to not only rely on their skills as an individual but on their skills as a team, and rely on each other more than themselves.

Kurenai admitted that Team Eight seemed far easier to teach than Team Seven or Team Ten, but she still had a lot to teach her new students, and she knew this wouldn't be an easy path.

Hinata fell backwards with her arms spread wide as she welcomed the ground, "Hinata, a trust fall is when you fall backwards into _someone else's arms_ not the ground," Kiba states, chugging his water, they finished team training and had a twenty minute break before missions.

Hinata looks up at her friend, "I'm well aware of that Kiba-Kun, but I'm trying to rest right now."

Kiba shrugs, "I know, I'm trying to see how long it'll take before you snap at me, I'm trying to slowly run down your patience."

"That isn't a good thing to do. Why? Because we all know that if you succeed, neither Kurenai-Sensei nor I will hold Hinata back from attacking you," Shino states from his seat in the shade a few feet away.

Kiba scowls, "I have brute force!"

"And Hinata knows how to use her brain," Shino counters, unfamiliar with what his friends called 'sass' and 'sarcasm' but slowly getting used to it. Seeing how red he could make Kiba's face from anger was oddly satisfying in a strange way.

Kiba growls at him, "What did you just say?!"

Kurenai watches from her place on top of a training log, her students were..something else, but she enjoyed listening to them bicker like old friends. The life of a ninja changes you for better or for worse, usually worse, and she knew that this might not last forever. So she enjoyed it while she could.

"Kiba-Kun, your rubbing off on Shino-Kun...where else would he get that level of sass from?" Hinata asks, suddenly interfering in the conversation.

Kiba huffs, "Whatever," he smirked despite his 'annoyance', because none of Team Eight could deny that they liked to bicker like this too.

"COME ON MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS! PUSH YOURSELVES TO YOUR LIMITS!" They all wince when they hear Gai's loud voice coming from...somewhere.

Hinata perks up and activated her Byakugan, spotting Team Gai in a training ground near their's, all three Genin were attacking Gai together, by their appearance they had been training for a long time now.

"Isn't that your cousin's crazy Sensei?" Kiba asks, rubbing his sensitive ears, he looks over at Akamaru who was laying out on the ground enjoying the feeling of the sun, gently snoring away. Kiba sweat drops, _'How did he not hear him yelling?!'_

Kurenai chuckles, "Gai was my classmate at the academy you know...he hasn't changed much at all," she says with a small smile.

"What about Asuma-San?" Hinata asks curiously.

The three Genin don't miss the slight blush on Kurenai's face when Hinata's mentions the Sensei of Team Ten.

"Y-Yeah," Kurenai clears her throat, "Asuma was also in my class, along with Team Seven's Sensei, Kakashi."

Hinata looks up at the name, she hadn't gotten a chance to speak with Naruto yet, and neither had she heard anything about his Sensei.

"Oh yeah...I bet Naruto is training right now," Kiba murmurs, it was closing in on noon, and today was their first day of training, and from now on their mornings were dedicated to training and afternoons to missions so far.

(Somewhere in Training Ground Nine Kakashi held two bells and Team Seven was starving.)

Kurenai was impressed with how well they had adapted to the new schedule, especially on the first day, "It's unorthodox for a brand new team to get a mission on their first day, but I wanna test your abilities."

And so the Third Hokage and Iruka were surprised to see Team Eight, "It's good to see you've adapted to your new role as a Sensei Kurenai," Hiruzen says, "Your here for a mission?"

"Yes, a simple D-Rank," Kurenai replies.

"We just received a new mission, an elderly woman needs her garden to be weeded and replanted, the big storm awhile back wiped out her garden, her neighbor has dogs to be walked, and also a bug infestation...seems your first mission was made for you," Iruka says with a chuckle.

Kurenai smiles, "It seems so."

Hinata had never mentioned it to her friends, because it really hadn't come up much, but gardening was one of her favorite pass times at the Hyuuga compound. Hiashi had given her a small patch of the garden to tend to herself, it grew her favorite flowers, tea leaves, and herbs.

A hobby of hers was to make special salves that were her Clan's specialty, she kept a jar in her weapons pouch at all times, it was perfect for scratches and bruises.

So Hinata found herself enjoying her first mission immensely, the woman who had asked for the help was very kind, and watched over the diligent Genin as she replanted her entire garden.

On her own it took about fourty five minutes, the garden was average sized but the weeds were numerous.

The woman thanked her and Hinata went to meet up with her teammates, Kiba and Shino had finished before her, which wasn't surprising, and Kurenai praised them for their quick work before deciding they'd get another mission in that involved team work.

And then Team Eight found themselves cleaning litter from one of the many rivers in Konoha.

The task was tiring and tedious but Team Eight kept their minds focused on the task, even Akamaru, though he did play in the water most of the time.

When Kurenai dismissed them, Team Eight was tired and cold, but they were satisfied with their first day as Team Eight.

**_Line Break_**

Hinata kept her balance when Hanabi sudddnly tackled her, hugging her little sister back happily, "Hi Hana-Chan."

Hanabi looks up, meeting her older sister's calm and patient eyes, "How was Hina-Nee-Chan's first day?" The brunette asks curiously.

Hinata beams, "Amazing!" She says, before retelling her entire day to Hanabi who listened attentively, pleased to have gotten her sister's attention.

With Hinata's promotion as a Genin, Hanabi knew she'd be much busier and the brunette planned to savor every moment she had with her Hina-Nee-Chan.

"Hana-Chan, want to help me with my garden today?" Hinata asks, Hanabi nods excitedly.

"Thank you! But first I need to report to father, go get ready and meet me there," Hanabi hugs her once more before heading to her room to change into a better outfit.

Hinata heads to the dining room, around this time her father usually has tea, and finds him peacefully drinking tea.

"Father," Hiashi looks up and meets her eyes, "I've returned from my first day with my team."

"How did it go?" Hiashi asks.

"Kurenai-Sensei said she's very impressed with our teamwork despite just being formed, we also went on two D-Rank missions, both successful," Hinata explains.

Hiashi nods, "As expected of my daughter, now go and attend to your garden," Hinata usually tends to her garden at this time.

Hinata nods and bows respectfully before leaving the room and out to the garden.

Hanabi was looking at the garden, Hinata walks over to her, "Are you ready?" Hanabi nods eagerly and the girls spend the next hour tending to the garden.

**_Line Break_**

Hinata was reading a scroll on chakra affinities when Neji came back from training with his team.

Neji was walking tall, but she could tell he was tired, "Hello Hinata-Sama," Neji says, spotting his younger cousin.

Hinata smiles brightly at him, "Hello Neji-Nii-San, I heard Gai-San shouting at your team earlier," she says with a giggle.

Neji scowls, "Don't remind me of today," he says, his voice deathly serious.

Hinata holds back her laughter as she nods along, trying to stay serious, "Of course Neji-Nii-San," Hinata replies.

Neji relaxes, "How did your first day go?" He asks.

"Amazing! We worked on team synchronization and then went on two D-Rank missions!" Hinata exclaims.

"Impressive Hinata-Sama," Neji says with a nod, "Well now that I've arrived home...I am going to my room."

Neji walks passed her and towards the Branch House.

Hinata puts her scroll down and stands up, heading towards the Main House to get dinner, she see's Hanabi stick her head out the door, the brunette smiles and waves her sister over, "Neji-San just got home and he looks like crap!" The girl whispers with a giggle once Hinata is close enough to hear her.

Hinata giggles, "I know, Neji-Nii-San trained today."

Hanabi hugs Hinata who smiles and hugs the brunette back, "Alright let's hurry to the dining room."

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To Crazy Chimera: I don't know Kurenai's character that well, so I wrote her as canonically as I possibly could lol. I hope you liked this chapter, the training has begun!!**

**To Splaaash-attack: I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter! And I'm glad you like the way I've written their friendships! I hope you like this chapter too!**

**To Hinatapaths: I don't know who Hinata's love interest will be yet. I am open to hearing your opinion though! If there is a pairing you want to see let me know!**

**To Sorra Boo: I'm glad my explanation helped you! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To SakuraKoi: Thank you for Favoriting _Altered_ and reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To Guest: I'm glad you like how I characterized Kurenai. I was worried I hadn't portrayed her correctly, I'd be concerned if I was a newly appointed Jounin assigned to three future Clan Heads too lol. ShikaHina huh? I don't read a lot of them, but I will definitely consider the pairing. They are a cute crack ship. Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**A special thank you to Matt Freeman for Favoriting and Following _Altered_! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts by reviewing! And don't forget to Favorite and Follow! And don't forget to tell me what ship ya want to see!**

**See ya next chapter! Bye!**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Ten**

Team Eight had been a team for an entire week, train and go on missions for seven days straight.

Kurenai decided to add a new element to their training starting their second week.

Shino, Hinata, and Kiba, each held a slice of paper in their hands, the three Genin stared down at them in silence. Akamaru rested on Kiba's head, also staring down at the paper.

"Do you know what these pieces of paper are?" Kurenai asks after a moment.

Hinata looks up at her first, "Pieces of paper made from trees that were fed chakra to grow, they are unique in being able to identify your chakra affinity, I read about them in a scroll I have."

Kurenai nods, "Exactly, elemental affinities are very important, as they allow you to use elemental Ninjutsu."

"Like the Uchiha's fireball," Kiba says.

"Yes, all you have to do is to focus on your chakra, and channel it to your hands, as soon as your chakra touches the paper, the paper will react. If your nature is fire it will ignite and turn to ash, if it's wind it will split in two, if it's water it will become wet, if it's earth it will will turn to dirt and crumble away, and if it's lighting it will crinkle," Kurenai explains.

Hinata focuses her chakra to her fingers and the paper instantly crinkles, "I have lighting," she murmurs.

Both Shino and Kiba's turn to dirt and crumble away, the two glance at each other, "I guess we both have earth then," Kiba says with a shrug.

Kurenai smiles, "All three of you will learn how to use a basic Ninjutsu with your chakra affinities by the end of this week," she announces, "I brought scrolls with me, but I only have one scroll for earth techniques so Kiba and Shino, you will have to share one," Kurenai tosses the scroll to Shino, before tossing another to Hinata, "I'll be back with another one soon for Kiba, if you want to you can try and start figuring out the Jutsu, but if you would rather wait that's fine."

Kurenai Body Flickers out of the training ground, leaving the three Genin, and Akamaru, by themselves.

Hinata opens her scroll and begins reading the instructions for the new Ninjutsu.

Kiba looks at the scroll in Shino's hands, "Earth Wall?" He asks, "That sounds like a good defensive Jutsu."

Kiba walks over to Hinata and looks over her shoulder, "Lightning Clone? That sounds really cool," Kiba says.

Hinata glances at him, "I can use the clone as a distraction and a weapon, if an enemy attacks it, instead of just 'poofing' like a Shadow Clone, it will disperse into Lightning and shock the attacker."

Kiba inches away, "Sounds painful."

Kurenai enters the training ground a few moments later, and tosses a scroll to Kiba, "Earth Clone?"

"Yes, once Shino has mastered his Jutsu to a certain degree and you've mastered yours, you two will switch and master the others," Kurenai states, "That way you've both learned two different Jutsu's, rather than giving Kiba the same Jutsu."

Shino nods in understanding and Kiba grins widely, both Genin ready for the new challenge.

Kurenai, while she can't use the techniques herself, walks them through how to use them using the scrolls.

Kurenai dismisses them about an hour before the Genin would usually eat dinner with their families.

Hinata waves goodbye before heading home.

Some days they'd train all day, and others they'd stop and go on D-Rank missions before Kurenai dismisses them.

When she arrives home she heads to her room to shower before changing into a simple light purple kimono.

Hinata heads to her fathers office and enters after gaining permission, "Father," she bows politely before giving a report of how her training went, including the new Jutsu Kurenai had given her to master.

Hiashi narrows his eyes in thought, "You know it is unorthodox for a Hyuuga to learn any Jutsu outside of the Clan Techniques and three basic Jutsu the academy teaches you."

Hinata frowns, "But isn't that wasting potential and limiting us? My Byakugan can be used for more than just Clan techniques and search and rescue."

Hiashi sighs, "You walk on dangerous ground Hinata, learning how to use new Jutsu will not go unnoticed by the elders."

Hinata fights the urge to roll her eyes at hearing the elders mentioned, _'The elders and their traditions, once I become Head of the Clan everything will change,'_ Hinata thinks to herself, "I know father, and I'm willing to take whatever punishment they deem fit for a ninja learning Ninjutsu," Hinata says sarcastically before leaving.

Hiashi watches his daughter leave the room, _'When did Hinata develop an attitude?'_

Hinata mentally berates herself for talking to her father with such a tone, "It's the elders..they always put me in a bad mood," she whispers to herself, "Just forget about them."

"Forget about who?" Hinata's eyes widen in surprise and she spins around and sees Hanabi standing a few feet behind her.

"Nothing," Hinata says with a small smile, she noted Hanabi had showered already and was dressed in pale yellow kimono, "How was training today?"

"Father shows no mercy," Hanabi says with a pout, "I hurt my ankle and he told me to walk it off, so I limped around the dojo until the pain faded away, a Branch member brought me some ice to wrap around it after training but it still hurt."

Hinata pats Hanabi's head, "He told me to walk it off plenty of times, even when we first started training, so your not alone Hana-Chan."

Hanabi huffs, "I know that sounds stupid but it really did hurt."

Hinata giggles, "I don't think it's stupid."

Hanabi smiles, "I know Hina-Nee-Chan! Your the best older sister ever!"

Hinata beams and hugs Hanabi tightly, "Thank you Hana-Chan, let's head to the dining room now, dinner will start soon."

**_Line Break_**

The next day Kurenai created three Shadow Clones and had them all individually watch over and help Hinata, Kiba, and Shino as they practiced their new Jutsu.

This was after the warm up and replaced team training for the day. They each had two hours before they'd start their D-rank missions for the day.

The real Kurenai spent her time thinking of new formations and plans for her team.

Two hours later Team Eight headed towards the mission desk, they saw Team Seven walking by so Hinata decided to say hi.

"Naruto-Kun!" The blond turns so quickly he lost his balance but quickly caught himself as he hollers Hinata's name in response and runs over to the other Genin.

Sakura rolls her eyes but follows her blond teammate, Kakashi follows behind them, while Sasuke stays where he's at.

"Where are you heading off to?" Hinata asks, "A mission?"

"Yeah, Tora ran away _again_, I feel like we are always trying to catch that stupid cat," Naruto grouches.

"Speaking of which," Kakashi says, "We need to start searching.

Hinata activates her Byakugan, surprising Sakura, the pinkette not having seen the Kekkei Genkai up close before, "Tora is currently running through the park, in the direction of Training Ground 13," She states.

"Thanks for the help Hinata-Chan! I'll see ya later!" Naruto says before running after his team who had left after hearing Tora's current location.

"They're really unlucky to be stuck with catching Tora," Kiba says with a smirk, "I'm glad we haven't been assigned that mission yet."

"I'm inclined to agree with Kiba. Why? Because Tora is a 'demon' among felines," Shino says quietly.

Hinata shrugs, "I guess...I wonder what missions we'll get today."

"Speaking of which, let's go, we are losing time," Kurenai states.

Team Eight successfully completes three D-Rank missions before Kurenai dismisses them.

Hinata stops by the Yamanaka Flower Shop on her way home, Ino stood behind the counter looking bored out of her mind but the blond brightens up when she spots Hinata, "Hinata!" She greets happily, "Thank goodness your here! I was about to die of boredom!"

Hinata giggles, "Hello Ino-Chan, I'm glad I cheered you up," she says, she walks over to some of the potted flowers, and picks up a set of daffodils.

"Adding more flowers to your garden?" Ino asks.

Hinata smiles and shakes her head, "No, these are for Hana-Chan's, I asked for a small section near my own garden. I'm starting it up and once it's ready I'll surprise her."

Ino beams, "I'm sure she'll love it, and from the way you've described her daffodils sound perfect."

Hinata nods, "I've already planted some of Hana-Chan's favorite tea leaves as well, some daffodils will be a good start. I'll show her the garden tomorrow."

Ino sighs dreamily, "Maybe one day somebody would do something like this for me."

Hinata giggles, "You mean in a romantic way? I'm sure you'll be sweeped off your feet Ino-Chan," she says.

Ino smiles, "I hope so! Speaking of which...do you like anyone Hina?"

Hinata shakes her head, "No, I mean no offense when I say this..but I am focusing on my training right now, and that type of thinking rarely crosses my mind."

Ino nods in understanding, "I knew you'd say that, I was just asking anyways."

Hinata waves goodbye and leaves after paying for the flowers and heads towards her home.

Taking extra care to avoid Hanabi, Hinata makes her way to the small garden she had set up for her younger sister.

It was smaller than her own, it had tea leaves planted but nothing else, Hinata plants the daffodils and once she's finished heads inside.

Hinata showers and changes into a kimono, _'Maybe I'll show Hanabi after dinner,' _she thinks to herself, she was walking through the main garden, occasionally stopping to inspect the flowers. The Branch members who took care of the garden let her be, as they are used to her presence.

After dinner Hinata blind folds an excited Hanabi, who promised not to look, and guided the younger Hyuuga to the back of the garden where Hanabi's new garden waited.

Hinata untied the blindfold and pulled it off her sister's head, "You can look now."

Hanabi opens her eyes and beams when she sees the small, growing garden. She noted her favorite type of tea leaves and saw daffodils growing, "Why daffodils?" She asks curiously.

Hinata smiles, "Daffodils symbolize fondness, respect, and feeling the sun shines brightest when your with the one you've given the flowers to."

Hanabi hugs her older sister tightly, "Thank you Hina-Nee-Chan!"

Hinata hugs her little sister back, just as tightly, "Your welcome Hana-Chan."

Hanabi looks up at her, "I can still help you with your garden right?" She asks.

"Of course Hana-Chan, but don't forget about your own alright? This garden is your responsibility now, but don't hesitate to ask for help," Hinata says.

The two sisters head back after Hinata walks Hanabi through how to properly care for her garden.

They see Neji on the way back, he looked tired but not nearly as bad as the week before, "Hello Neji-Nii-San," Hinata greets.

Neji looks over at them, "Hinata-Sama, Hanabi-Sama. I see you've gotten back from tending to Hinata's garden."

"Not Hina-Nee-Chan's garden," Hanabi corrects, "My garden!"

Neji raises a brow and Hinata giggles, "I started a small garden for Hana-Chan."

"Oh," the oldest Hyuuga sighs, "I'm heading to my room now," Neji walks away and the two sisters head inside.

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: Hello! We saw some Team Eight training, got a glimpse of Team Seven, saw Ino, and more Hanabi and Hinata bonding time!**

**Idk about you but I love reading and writing about Hinata and Hanabi's relationship, they are just so cute!! **

**For Team Eight's chakra affinities, I read that Shino had Fire, Earth, and Yang release by the Shinobi war in Shippuden, so I decided to stick with Earth. Kiba had Earth and Yang Release..so I thought it'd be cool for them to learn Jutsu's together and help each other out. Hinata has Fire and Lightning, I stuck with Lightning for now...I thought of some ideas for it.**

**For the garden I wanted the flowers to symbolize their close relationship so please correct me if I made a mistake regarding that, I'm not well versed in the language of flowers.**

**To MidnightKitts: I hope you continue to enjoy the story and I'm very happy that you like the NejiHina moments, personally it's one of my favorite things to write about. While she did start modifying the Gentle Fist at such a young age, Hinata still has a long ways to go, but we'll see the results of her training soon enough. Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To Splaaash-attack: I realize when I'm reading over my chapters some moments are just _too_ cute! But I love them lol.** **Thank you**** for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To SakuraKoi: Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To EAsis: Thank you for reviewing! I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy _Altered_.**

**A special thank you to doggy bye and FrostFriday for Favoriting _Altered _and sakuyamode, TGRS, and AlianoraJinx for Following _Altered_, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!**

**As always leave your thoughts by reviewing! And don't forget to Favorite and Follow! **

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Eleven**

Team Eight received their first C-Rank mission two months into becoming Genin.

The three Genin, by that time, had mastered the Jutsu Kurenai had given them.

Hinata could create proper Lightning Clones. And both Kiba and Shino could create walls and clones of stone.

Their teamwork and the bond between the three strengthened. The three Genin had grown stronger as well. And Kurenai upped the training level too.

The day they got their first mission started off like every other day.

Team Eight stretched out and ran three laps around Konoha, before Kurenai began team training.

About an hour in they all heard a familiar voice, "GO ON MY STUDENTS! PROVE YOUR STRENGTH TO EACH OTHER!" Gai shouts.

The three Genin look to Kurenai who sighs, "Ten minute break."

They run in the direction of Gai's voice and find Neji and Lee standing on their hands, their entire body's were shaking and they seemed to be doing an endurance test. Seeing who would break first.

Hinata grabs her water bottle, and concentrates chakra to her hand, winding her arm back she aims at her cousin.

Kiba looks at her incredulously, "What are you doing?!?" He whispers harshly.

Hinata glances at him, "Pulling my cousins leg of course."

Shino adjusts his glasses, "I do not think this is a good idea. Why? Because your cousin will be mad at you and will seek revenge."

Hinata shrugs, "I don't care," she grins mischievously, an expression Kiba can count on one hand how many times he's seen, and throws the water bottle.

The bottle is a purple streak through the air and hits Neji flat in the stomach, the older Hyuuga wheezes as he hits the ground, coughing for air as the wind had been knocked out of him.

Team Eight was long gone by the time he recovered, but Neji knew who's water bottle it was.

Team Eight stood before the Hokage and Iruka as the Third searched through the missions.

Kiba grins, "I think we're ready for a C-Rank mission," the Inuzuka suddenly says.

Shino and Hinata look over at their teammate, Kiba stood between them, while Kurenai looks at the Hokage.

"What do you think Kurenai?" Hiruzen asks.

"They're ready," Kurenai says with a small smile, excited for her teams first C-Rank mission.

"Alright, it's a simple delivery mission," the Hokage says with a smile, years of serving him told Kurenai that he was secretly laughing at them, "It's only C-Rank because it requires you to deliver the scroll to Suna, a three day trip there and back."

"Will it only be us?" Kurenai asks, the Hokage nods in reply.

Hinata smiles, "I've never been to Suna before, it sounds very interesting."

"Suna is much different than Konoha, I suggest you bring extra water and travel at night through the desert. You won't have any troubles with Sand storms either," The Third says.

Iruka smiles proudly, watching as Hinata took the mission scroll from the Hokage and Kurenai grabbed the scroll they were to deliver, "I'm very proud of you three, your first C-Rank mission!"

Kiba and Hinata beam, and while they couldn't see Shino's face, they all knew he was happy as well.

"Thank you Iruka-Sensei," the three reply together with a bow.

"Remember to pack appropriately, the trip is three days there and three days back, so bring extra items and be prepared for anything, let's meet at the gate tomorrow at 7 in the morning," Kurenai states before dismissing them to pack before the mission tomorrow

**_Line Break_**

Hiashi nods in understanding, "Good luck on your mission Hinata," he says. Hinata had finished explaining the mission to him.

"Thank you father, we'll be back in about a week and a half," Hinata bows before leaving.

She walks to Hanabi's garden where she found Hanabi tending to her plants, "Hana-Chan!"

Hanabi jumped up and hugged her sister, "Hina-Nee-Chan!! You came home earlier than usual!"

Hinata smiles, "I did, I came home earlier to pack up for a mission."

Hanabi falters, "A mission?"

"Yes, Team Eight will be delivering a scroll to someone in the Sand," Hinata explains, "We'll be gone about a week and a half."

Hanabi pouts, "Aw...by the way, Neji-San came home early today too, he was wheezing and holding his gut..do you know what happened?" Hanabi asks curiously.

Hinata shakes her head, lips twitching in the fight to not laugh, "N-No," Hanabi's eyes narrow at the out of character stutter, "Thank you for letting me know..I'll be sure to visit him later."

Hanabi watches her older sister's retreating back, and she swears she heard her sister snicker.

Later that day Hinata ate dinner with Hanabi and Hiashi before finishing packing and going to sleep early.

She was ready for the mission tomorrow.

At the gate the next morning, Hinata arrived fifteen minutes early, Kurenai and Shino arrived shortly after, and Kiba arriving last. Which was about five minutes before the time they were supposed to meet.

Kurenai puts the scroll in her bag, one she brought for the mission which held her things, "Alright, are we ready to go?"

Team Eight begins the trip to Suna, jumping from tree branch to tree branch at a pace that all three Genin could handle.

"What's inside the scroll? And who are we delivering it to?" Kiba asks.

"Its a scroll with a recipe for ramen, Teuchi, the founder of Ichiruka Ramen, is giving it to a man who's starting a ramen shop in Suna," Kurenai explains.

The three Genin suddenly look down, gloomy even.

Kurenai sweat drops, _'I guess they were expecting something more,' _she clears her throat, "Naruto would be pretty jealous wouldn't he?" She asks.

Kiba straightens up at that, "That's a good point Kurenai-Sensei, Naruto would kill for a mission about ramen, especially a C-Rank mission!"

_'At least that cheered up Kiba,' _Kurenai thinks, Shino seemed to be sulking, and Hinata looked confused. Probably because they were delivering a scroll with a recipe inside it.

Team Eight take a break about four hours in, stopping at a creek nearby to fill their water up.

Kiba and Akamaru sat in the grass beside the river, Akamaru suddenly lifts his head and starts growling. Catching the attention of Hinata, Shino, and Kurenai.

"What's wrong?" Kurenai asks, pulling a kunai from her pouch.

Hinata activates her Byakugan and see's a group of three watching them from the trees, probably planning to ambush them.

The three drop down and stand tall, the leader pointing at Kurenai, "Give us the scroll!" He demands.

The three Genin look at each other, _'He wants the scroll?' _The three ninja think.

"Why do you want it?" Kurenai asks.

"Your Konoha Genin, headed toward Suna, you must have some sort of important scroll so give it to us!" The second robber states.

"Yeah, we could make big money off of it," the third one adds.

Team Eight, as a whole, sweat drops, even Akamaru, _'I don't think you'll make a lot of money off of a recipe...'_

Kurenai sighs and makes a hand sign. The three men suddenly freeze, the Genin realize she put them under a Genjutsu.

Kurenai ties them up to a tree, "Alright let's go, they are just a distraction that we really don't need."

The Genin nod and they jump back into the trees and continue on their way.

It's hours later when the robbers break out of the Genjutsu and it's growing dark.

**_Line Break_**

Team Eight make it to the border of The Land of Wind halfway through the third day, "Alright, we'll wait it out until it's cool enough to run across the sand, we'll make it the gates later in the night, stay at an inn, and deliver the scroll tomorrow," Kurenai says, "And hopefully on our way back we won't run across those robbers again."

Kiba scoffs, "Those three were idiots, I can't believe they actually tried to rob a _Jounin_."

Shino nods in agreement, "They were brash. Why? Because they tried to take a scroll without knowing anything about it."

"Yeah we get that," Kiba mutters, "I'm gonna take a nap."

The Inuzuka plops under a tree and Akamaru trots over and lays on Kiba's stomach.

"How about you two spar?" Kurenai suggests.

Hinata and Shino nod, "Taijutsu only, no chakra," Kurenai says, "We need all the energy we can get if we're gonna run across the desert."

Hinata and Shino fall into their respective stances, "Begin!" Kurenai states.

Hinata rushes forward, appearing in front of Shino and thrusting a palm at her teammates shoulder, the Aburame counters by grabbed her arm and throwing her off balance, then sweeping the Hyuuga's feet.

Hinata wheezes when her back hits the ground, "G-Good move S-Shino-Kun," Hinata says.

Shino helps her up and Kurenai looks between them, "Hinata..I advise you to switch up your attack patterns, Shino was able to counter attack because he was able to read you easily, you want to be as unpredictable as possible when in a fight."

Hinata nods in understanding, "Again?" She asks, turning to Shino, the Aburame nods and the two take their stances once more.

That night, the cloudless sky of Suna was filled with stars as Team Eight ran across the desert, sand kicking up with each step. The temperature dropping quickly.

They arrive at Suna early in the morning, and the guards let them pass after seeing their IDs and the scroll they were delivering.

After getting directions the team of five, including Akamaru, find an inn and stay the night.

"The Kazekage wishes to speak with you," a Chunin announces, having shown up at the door the next morning, "He was informed a Leaf Jounin and three Genin arrived in the early morning and wanted confirmation on why you've come here."

Kurenai nods and hands the scroll to Hinata, "Deliver the scroll, we'll meet back here in two hours."

The three Genin leave the inn ten minutes later, asking around for directions to the ramen guy they were looking for.

They find a small indoor ramen place, a woman stood behind the counter with a man rushing around the kitchen, "Are you here with the scroll?" She asks.

Hinata hands the ramen recipe to her and the woman beams, "Thank you so much! Here's the payment for the mission," she hands them a sealed envelope and Hinata puts it in her pocket.

The three Genin leave the resturant, "We still have an hour before we need to be back at the inn, what are we gonna do now?" Kiba grumbles.

"Kiba-Kun, I understand our mission isn't exactly what we thought it would be, but we are still in a new country, why don't we look around!" Hinata suggests cheerfully.

Shino nods,"I would like to look around Sunagakure."

Kiba huffs, "Alright," the Inuzuka had left his coat back at the inn so Akamaru was currently resting on his head instead.

The three walk around Suna, sight seeing and pointing out differences in how things work between Suna and Konoha.

They arrive back at their inn just as Kurenai arrives and Hinata hands the envelope to their Sensei.

"Alright, we are going to wait until the evening before leaving once more," Kurenai announces, "So let's take this time to rest up."

Kurenai checks them out later in the day and the run through the night, stopping about two hours out of the border for a break before continuing.

They were a days away from Konoha when they came across the same three robbers.._again_.

Hinata activates her Byakugan when she senses the chakra signatures, they weren't very impressive and she wondered how long it took for them to break out of Kurenai's Jutsu.

"Hey you!" The leader shouts as the three jump down from the trees to stand in their way, Team opted to take a break from jumping through the trees at this time.

"Me?" Kurenai asks blandly, her red eyes narrowing slightly in annoyance at seeing them again.

"Yes you! Because you put us under a Genjutsu and left us stuck for hours were gonna beat you up!" The second in command yells.

Hinata suddenly appears before him and thrusts her palm at his face, breaking his nose and knocking the guy unconscious.

Kiba knocks the third guy out with a punch after Akamaru charges at him as a distraction.

And Shino raises his hand and chases the leader away with his bugs.

The leader comes back only to grab his two lackeys and then run away again.

The three Genin high five, and turn to smile at their Sensei, Kurenai smiles, "Good job, I was gonna put them under a Genjutsu again but chasing them away worked a lot better it seems."

Team Eight burst into laughter at the absurdity of the entire mission. They were annoyed at first, but this mission would provide a great story to tell their friends and families.

"Oh man, I'm still gonna hold this over Naruto for a long time," Kiba states the next day, Team Eight was walking towards the gate of Konoha, the two Chunin at the gate looked bored out of their minds.

"I'm sure Naruto-Kun would've liked this mission, ramen and little bit of action," Hinata says with a giggle.

"It felt so good to knock that guy out," Kiba says with a grin, Akamaru barking in agreement.

Team Eight passed through gates and into Konoha once more.

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: So I've figured out the timeline, it's more of less January when the Genin graduate, so Hinata would be twelve by this time. The Chunin Exams are held twice a year, the first one being in June-July. And right now in the story it's sometime in March.**

**Please let me know if there is an error I missed with the timeline, because that's what I'm going with for now. And let me know what you thought of Team Eight's first C-Rank mission. I hope it made you laugh cuz I was giggling while I wrote it. Me and my Beta came up with it, it's ridiculous enough to be true in my opinion lol.**

**To Splaaash-Attack: It makes me happy too! Thank you for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To CrazyChimera: Thank you for reviewing both Chapters Nine and Ten lol. I love the sibling relationships and I'm glad you do to! I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you enjoy this one as well!**

**To mynintendo: That is what I'm going for, but Hinata won't learn this for quite awhile, I used this technique in my other fanfic and I thought of bringing it back. The chakra paper reacts to chakra as soon as it touches it, in this case Hinata's strongest nature is Lightning, she would have to dig deeper to bring out the Fire Release. In the show it says that most ninja can't use both their nature releases until their Jounin, and while I won't be keeping to that, it's why I'm focusing on Lightning first. Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**A special thank you to natsu d uchiha for Following _Altered_! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Let me know what you thought by leaving a review and don't forget to Favorite and Follow! **

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Timeline: April**

**Chapter Twelve**

Hinata, Kiba, and Shino quietly work on the garden, another weeding mission.

Kurenai watched them from the side with her arms crossed, the client stood next to her on her right.

"How can you take care of your own garden?" Kiba mutters, glancing at Hinata who easily took the weeds out at faster pace than Kiba and Shino were.

Hinata smiles with a small shrug, "My mom taught me how, she started my garden for me and planted my favorite flowers, I did the same for Hanabi as well."

"Your gonna do that for your kids to?" Kiba teases, Hinata blushes lightly and looks away.

"Kiba, stop teasing Hinata. Why? Because she is currently holding a kunai and can hurt you," Shino states, coming to Hinata's defense.

Kiba pouts, "It was just a joke!" He looks around for Akamaru, the dog was sleeping on the porch of the house, Kiba sweat drops, "So much for you coming to my defense Akamaru."

The dog doesn't respond, continuing to sleep.

"It's ok Shino-Kun, Kiba-Kun is right, if I ever do have children I'll pass on the tradition, but now is not the time to be thinking about these things," Hinata states, "We are Genin, and we need to focus on our training and missions!"

Kiba and Shino agree, and soon the garden was finished and Team Eight headed towards the mission desk once more.

On their way they see Team Seven exit the room, the Genin looked excited, Naruto beams when he spots them and rushes over, "Hinata-Chan! Kiba! Shino!" The blond yells.

"Hello Naruto-Kun," Hinata greets happily, "Hello Kakashi-San, Sakura-San, and Sasuke-San."

Kakashi nods lazily as he reads his book, Sakura smiles and waves back while Sasuke completely ignores her.

"Guess what?!" Naruto shouts, "We just got assigned a C-Rank escort mission to the Land of Waves!" Naruto announces, full of energy.

Hinata smiles brightly, "That's amazing Naruto-Kun!"

"We're gonna have a much better time than you did on _your_ C-Rank mission!" Naruto states crossing his arms.

Kiba rolls his eyes, "Whatever Naruto, at least we're an actual team."

Hinata gives him the 'mom look' as the Inuzuka described it, and Kiba apologizes.

"It's fine," Kakashi says, "We know that already."

Kurenai sighs, "Let's get a new mission now, we shouldn't hold up Team Seven any longer."

Hinata quickly hugs Naruto before waving goodbye, Team Eight continuing down the hall.

"I see your back from another mission," Iruka says, "Team Eight finishes missions faster than we can keep up."

The Genin smile at their former Sensei as Hiruzen chuckles, he picks another D-Rank out and the smiles transform into horror, "N-No way," Kiba stutters.

"We have to find _Tora_?!" The Inuzuka shouts.

"Our time had to come one day," Shino says.

"Team Seven had just returned him and the Feudal Lord's wife left, but she returned in a panic just a moment ago screaming about how Tora escaped," Iruka explains.

Hinata activates her Byakugan, "I've found him! Let's go!" She runs out of the room with Kiba and Shino following behind. Kurenai shakes her head with a small smile before leaving and going after them.

Tora comes to a stop in the middle of a clearing, hidden in the trees and shrubbery, Team Eight waited for the perfect moment to capture their prey.

"Now," Kurenai whispers into her mic, they had them on since the mission they completed before weeding out the garden required them.

Shino, Kiba, and Hinata jumped from their places and landed in front of Tora, the cat hissed and crouched lowly, claws extending.

Before the cat could pounce, Akamaru attacked, jumping from Kiba's head and tackling the feline to the ground.

Kiba picked up Akamaru and Hinata swiped Tora up, the cat clawed, hissed, and fought for freedom, but no matter how much he squirmed Hinata kept an iron grip on him.

While Kurenai waited for a new mission, Kiba and Shino helped Hinata apply her salve to the claw marks from the cat.

Tora was currently being squeezed to death by his owner, and while Hinata didn't say it out loud, she mentally agreed with Kiba's earlier statement when they returned the cat, _'He deserves it.'_

**_Line Break_**

Team Eight sat inside a small cafe, Kurenai decided to buy them all lunch today, rather than train until they were ragged.

The Genin ordered their food and ate in a relatively peaceful silence, the voices of the other customers filling in the quiet.

Kurenai smiles at her team, _'They've come so far...in two weeks will mark their sixth month as a team and I couldn't be more proud,' _she thinks.

Hinata glances over at Kurenai, who sat beside her, Kiba and Shino were seated across from the two in the small booth.

"Kurenai-Sensei?" The red eyed woman looks over at Hinata.

"What is it Hinata?" Kurenai asks.

"Can you teach me some Genjutsu?" Hinata asks, "Just basic techniques."

Kurenai nods, "Sure," she looks to her male students, Kiba and Shino shrug, "I guess we can get in some training after lunch then..if you don't mind."

Hinata seems happy to train more, Kiba and Shino seemed reluctant, "How about I add Genjutsu training tomorrow as well, we can train after lunch only if you want to..so if your not up for it you can go home," Kurenai suggests, looking at the two Genin across from her. They nodded in response to her suggestion.

Hinata smiles to herself, _'I really _do_ train a lot, I guess Kiba and Shino just want to head home and rest after lunch today, I don't blame them.'_

Kurenai and Hinata head out to the training ground, after they all finished their food they stayed for about twenty more minutes, as Kurenai went over some ideas for team training.

When they arrived the two stand in silence for a moment.

"Hinata, did you ever cast any Genjutsu when you were in the academy?" Kurenai asks.

"No, we only learned how to dispel it really, and some theory behind it," Hinata says, "Since you specialize in Genjutsu I thought to ask you to teach me when I had the opportunity."

Kurenai smiles, "I'm glad you did ask me, I was hoping one of you three would finally take interest. I've taught you a few on how to take advantage of the surroundings and hide yourselves. With the time it would take them to break the illusion you'd have already taken them down."

Hinata nods, "Those techniques are very useful, but I was wondering about techniques that could manipulate the plants, making my opponent think they were under attack or a Genjutsu where it appears your being attacked by a large amount of clones."

Kurenai smirks, "You've come to the right woman, I have a few techniques that you can learn."

**_Line Break_**

Hinata makes her way to Team Gai's Training Ground, Kurenai had given them the day off, and it wouldn't be the first time Hinata joined one of Team Gai's Training sessions.

"YOSH! THE YOUTHFUL HINATA HAS DECIDED TO JOIN US AGAIN!" Gai bellows when he notices Hinata. It was early in the morning, about six, some days Team Gai had a later start and this was one of those days.

Tenten smiles in relief when she notices the other female, "Hinata-Chan!" The brunette makes her way over to the younger Genin and hugs her tightly, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you again," Tenten whispers.

"Yosh! Good morning the ever youthful Hinata!" Lee greets, the mini me gave Hinata a thumbs up in his 'good guy stance' as Naruto described it.

"Good morning Lee-Kun, Tenten-Chan, Gai-San, and Neji-Nii-San," Hinata says cheerfully in response.

Neji sighs, "I don't understand how you can be so cheerful in the morning, especially when you join us in training."

"Alright everyone!" Gai yells, "For our warm up it will be ten laps around Konoha! A hundred each of our usual stretches. And then the real training begins!"

Tenten and Hinata run at the same pace, as Lee and Neji race on ahead, "Gai-Sensei usually gives us a lighter load on Saturdays, considering the other teams are usually taking today off," the brunette explains.

Hinata nods in understanding, "Wanna see if we can beat Lee and Neji?" Hinata asks.

Tenten is about to say no when Hinata picks up speed, going for the win, Tenten sighs and shakes her head, _'I'll never understand how Hinata-Chan enjoys our training sessions.'_

They get a small break between the run and warm ups, another small break, and then onto the days challenge.

"Neji and Tenten will be each other's sparring partners today. Lee and Hinata will also be sparring partners. Today's focus is on Taijutsu," Gai announces, "Begin!"

Hinata stays in her Gentle Fist stance, her legs were spread farther apart, while one hand was by her hip and the other in front of her. Compared to Neji's Gentle Fist stance, her's looked similar but was way looser, allowing her more flexibility and room to maneuver.

Hinata activates her Byakugan, having learned how to without using hand signs long ago. Activating her bloodline was as easy as breathing for her now.

Lee shifted into his stance, having waited for her to be ready first, before in a blur of a green he was sending a kick down at her, Hinata rolled to the side and got to her feet, rushing at Lee head on.

Lee sends a punch at her but with quick reflexes that came from training from such a young age, Hinata was able to dodge to the left, grab his arm and block a few chakra points in his arm with her other hand.

The two jump back from each other, Lee rushes forward once more, and right before he attacked Hinata slammed a chakra filled palm onto his chest and knocked him back, Lee was able to keep himself up, though he visibly winced, a hand on his side where Hinata struck.

"Good job Hinata-Chan! The ability to find and hit an opening in such a short amount of time shows you've come far, and that you see more than just the chakra points on your opponent with your Byakugan," Gai shouts from the sidelines.

Gai's voice distracts the Hyuuga and in a second Lee pins her to the ground, his fist an inch away from her face, and wins the spar.

Hinata pouts and Lee stands up holding his hand to her, "Thanks Lee," the two get back into their stances and begin again.

**_Line Break_**

Sometime during the third week of April Team Seven finally return from their C-Rank mission.

Hinata, Kiba, and Shino were taking a break when Kurenai notices a bird flying around in the sky, she notices the seal and realizes that its summoning all the Jounin and Chunin, _'I hadn't realizrd its already time,' _ Kurenai thinks, glancing at her students who watched her curiously, "I'll be back," is all she says before leaving the training ground.

"_All_ the Jounin and Chunin," Hinata says, watching the circling bird, "What do you think it means?" she asks, looking at Shino.

The Aburame adjusts his glasses before speaking, "I think its about the Chunin Exams. Why? Because they are held twice a year, we graduated almost six months ago now, and the first Exam of the year is udually held in June," Shino answers.

"The Chunin Exams? Do you think we'll be able to enter?" Kiba asks.

"I don't think so," Hinata replies, "We are Rookie's compared to all the Genin who will be participating this year, especially if Gai-San decides to enter Neji-Nii-San's team."

"It would be really funny if the Rookie Nine are participating this year...just for irony since it hasn't happened in years, and the fact we are all very green compared to the other participants," Kiba says.

Its quiet as they ponder Kiba's words...it's a very outlandish idea that Team Eight would participate this year, but then again...anything could happen.

The next morning when Team Eight arrived at the training ground and Kurenai handed them the forms.

The three Genin were in shock and disbelief, "B-But we've been on a team for only six months!" Kiba says in astonishment.

Kurenai smiles, "I know, and I trust you all will be able to do your best," she says, "The Chunin Exams will be your toughest obstacle yet. And I know you'll overcome it."

"Thank you Kurenai-Sensei," Hinata says with a smile.

"In one week you'll meet in room 314 at 3 o'clock, the test is optional, so you don't have to come," Kurenai says, "I'll see you then, you have this week off to think about your decision and to rest, if you decide to take the Chunin Exams you will need all the rest you can get."

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: The Chunin Exams are here! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To LB Cat: I'm glad you love it! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To SakuraKoi: : ) Thank you for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To Splaaash-attack: They are too cute lol. Thank you for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**A special thank you to M.I.A. Since '85 for Following and to HiddenYori for Favoriting _Altered_! A special thank you to OjosLuna for Following and Favoriting! I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!**

**Don't forget leave your thoughts by reviewing and don't forget to Favorite and Follow _Altered_.**

**See ya next chapter! Bye!**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Thirteen**

Hinata, Kiba, and Shino stay long after Kurenai leaves, "I'm gonna go," Kiba says, breaking the silence, "A chance to become Chunin this early? I'm taking it," the Inuzuka states.

Shino stares down at the form, "I agree with Kiba. Why? This is an opportunity to gauge our skills against other Genin who will have a lot more experience than us. It's a good learning experience for everyone."

Hinata nods, "If you two are in than so am I! What better way to conquer the Chunin Exams than as a team!" Hinata says with a smile.

Kiba grins and Akamaru barks excitedly, Shino adjusts his glasses but they know he's smiling too.

"Watch out Chunin Exams, Team Eight is coming," Kiba states.

"I have to go now," Hinata says, "I'll see you two in a week?" She asks.

"Yep," Kiba says with a nod, "See you two later!" He calls over his shoulder before leaving the training ground.

Shino nods, "I'll see you soon Hinata," the Aburame leaves.

Hinata heads out of the clearing and makes her way home, but encounters a man dressed up wearing a strange hat, "You think you can attempt the Chunin Exams? You must go through me first!" He yells before charging at her.

Hinata activates her Byakugan and falls seemlessly into her stance, waiting for the perfect time, as soon as the man tries to hit her she kicks him in the face, knocking the guy off balance, and then she sends him flying with a palm to his stomach.

The man lands on the ground, before poofing into smoke, leaving a confused Hinata staring at the place he was on the ground, _'What was that?' _She thinks.

Hinata stands up and deactivates her Byakugan and continues home.

She decides not to think about it and heads home, _'It must've been some type of test, considering he mentioned the Chunin Exams, that's probably why Kurenai let us out early, not only to think about our decision but to probably solidify it after encountering him.'_

Hinata enters the Main House and walks to Hiashi's Office, she enters after gaining permission and bows before standing tall, she walks to his desk and places the form, which she had kept in her pocket, on the wooden surface.

"The Chunin Exams?" Hiashi asks, "Who will be participating?"

Hinata smiles, "Kiba-Kun, Shino-Kun, and I have decided to conquer the Chunin Exams together as a team."

Hiashi nods, "I understand..that's a good plan," he says, "I will sign the form for you."

Hinata beams, "Thank you father! The Chunin Exams are in a week, we have to go to room 314 at the Academy, it starts at 3," She explains.

"Neji arrived home earlier than usual today as well," Hiashi states, "I believe he might be taking the Exams as well, you should talk with him, get some extra training in with him."

Hinata nods, "That's a good idea father," she says, "I'll go look for him now."

The Heiress bows before leaving the room.

**_Line Break_**

Hinata finds Neji in the Branch House dojo practicing, "Neji-Nii-San," The older Hyuuga turns to her and bows.

"What brings you here Hinata-Sama?" Neji asks, glancing at the other Branch members who watched Hinata curiously.

"I wanted to know if you will be participating in the Chunin Exams?" Hinata asks,

"Yes, I will be," Neji's eyes widen, "Team Eight will be participating as well?"

"Yes, Kurenai-Sensei gave us the forms, we've decided to enter together as a team," Hinata says, "Will you, Tenten-Chan, and Lee-Kun enter together as well?"

Neji nods, "Yes, I believe that's the only possible way, even if our Sensei's told us it's..optional, only teams of three are able to enter, if you had chosen not to participate Inuzuka and Aburame wouldn't have been able to either."

Hinata's eyes widen slightly, "I can't believe I didn't catch onto that."

Neji rolls his eyes, "It's not common knowledge for Genin, I figured it out last year when Lee decided not to and Gai told us to think wisely about whether we want to enter, it was obvious."

Hinata sticks her tongue out, "Maybe for you," she suddenly frowns, "What if we're pitted against each other?" She asks.

Neji shrugs, "It's a distinct possibility Hinata-Sama, but you don't need to worry about that now, focus on getting ready for the Exams...not stressing over them when they haven't even begun."

Hinata nods, "Your right Neji-Nii-San, I was wondering if you wanted to train with me during the week? I'll leave you to think about it. I'm going to find Hana-Chan," she waves before leaving the dojo and heading towards her little sister's garden.

She finds Hanabi tending to her garden, as she suspected, "Hana-Chan!" She calls.

Hanabi looks up, but doesn't attack her with a hug, "I'm all dirty," she says with a pout, "I would've tackled you if I wasn't covered in dirt!"

Hinata giggles, "It's alright Hana-Chan," Hinata crouches down beside Hanabi, "How is working on your garden so far?"

"Hard work," Hanabi pouts, "I don't know how you did it."

"Mother taught me how, so I will do the same for you," Hinata says with a smile.

Hanabi beams, "Thanks Hina-Nee-Chan!...wait, why are you home so early? Don't tell me your going on another mission!" Hanabi cries.

"Nothing like that," Hinata says with a chuckle, "In fact, Team Eight will be participating in the Chunin Exams, which is much more exciting than a mission."

Hanabi looks over at her, taking a break from tending to her plants, "Along with Neji-San right? He came earlier than you if you can believe it."

"Yes, I actually talked to him before coming here," Hinata says.

Hanabi pouts, "You went to see _Neji-San_ before _me_?!" The younger Hyuuga asks incredulously.

Hinata nods, "I needed to talk with him about the Chunin Exams, and ask if he wanted to train with me so I could better prepare myself for the Exams," Hinata explains.

"That's valid...I guess," Hanabi playfully glares at her, "But you owe me one now," she states.

Hinata smiles brightly, "Anything for Hana-Chan."

Hanabi nods, "Sounds about right...but for now help me out!...this isn't your favor either!"

Hinata giggles, "Of course, what do you need help with Hana-Chan?"

**_Line Break_**

Hinata heads into a weapons shop the next day, _'I need to get some new kunai and shuriken,' _she thinks, looking through the different models.

"Hina-Chan!" Hinata looks up and smiles at Tenten who appeared beside her, "I wasn't expecting to see you here!"

Hinata looks back to the kunai, "I'm getting some new kunai and shuriken..." Hinata trails off seeing the starry eyed look Tenten was giving her, "Do you want to help me?"

Tenten nods excitedly and grabs a few different types of kunai and shuriken, "Let's start with your grip, we need to find the perfect ones for you."

An hour later Hinata pays for her new weapons as Tenten purchases her own, "Want to join me?" Hinata asks, "I'm visiting my friend at the Flower Shop if you want to join me."

"Sure!" Tenten replies, "I was gonna go train but I should give myself a break before I turn into my own personal Gai-Sensei."

Hinata giggles, "You train hard enough with Gai and then you train yourself even harder, that's very admirable Tenten-Chan."

Tenten shrugs, "Gai and Lee are rubbing off on me, but Neji's mentioned you do the same thing before so I guess we're both admirable than," the brunette says.

"I guess so," Hinata agrees.

Ino looks up hearing the bell, "Hina-Chan!" The blond says excitedly.

Tenten looks around, "I understand why you come here to get flowers and herbs for your garden," she states, the wide variety was impressive.

Hinata nods, "You can't go wrong with the Yamanaka Flower Shop."

Ino beams, "That's right!" She looks over at Tenten, "Are you Hina-Chan's friend?"

"Tenten, friend and teammate of her cousin," Tenten says, "And your..?"

"Ino Yamanaka," the blond says, "Are you getting anything today?" She asks Hinata.

"Not today," Hinata says, "We just came here to visit."

Ino smiles brightly, "Great! It's been slow today so seeing you automatically cheered me up!" The Yamanaka states.

Hinata flushes, "Thank you Ino-Chan, seeing you always cheers me up as well!"

The bell rings again and Shikamaru and Choji enter the shop, Shikamaru notices Hinata and nods, "Hi Hinata, it's been awhile."

Hinata smiles, "Shikamaru-Kun! Choji-Kun! It's been to long."

Shikamaru notices Tenten and nods in greeting, "We came by to check if Ino's decided to enter the Chunin Exams or not, it's a drag but me and Choji are entering," the Nara drawls.

Ino shrugs, "Are you entering?" She asks Hinata.

Hinata nods, "Team Eight is gonna conquer the Chunin Exams!"

Tenten pokes the Hyuuga's cheek, "Get ready to eat your words, Team Gai will _all _be Chunin by the end of the Exams."

"Oh yeah, your Neji's teammate..no wonder you looked so familiar," Choji says.

Tenten smirks, "Team Gai is by far the strongest, so don't underestimate us, it was nice meeting you all but I got some training to do," the brunette hugs Hinata before leaving.

Ino grins, "No way is Team Ten losing! We are gonna _destroy _the Chunin Exams!" The Yamanaka states.

"I guess that's settled," Shikamaru says with a lazy yawn, "I wonder if Team Seven is entering too."

Hinata giggles, "I'm sure they will be, Naruto-Kun for sure."

Shikamaru shrugs, "The Exams are troublesome."

Ino rolls her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, everything's either a drag or troublesome, or both."

Shikamaru yawns again, "Yep, it's a drag."

Ino groans, "Honestly, I wish you two were more productive."

Shikamaru doesn't reply, it's to troublesome for him, while Choji just snacks on his chips, unaffected by Ino.

Hinata smiles at their antics, "I guess we'll see each other soon then," the Hyuuga says.

"Yeah!" Ino says, "See you soon Hina-Chan!"

Hinata walks out of the shop and makes her way to a nearby Training Ground, planning to get some quality training in with her weapons before training later with Neji.

_'Chunin Exams,' _Hinata thinks, _'This'll be fun.'_

_**To be continued...**_

**AN: Sorry to burst your bubble Hinata but it won't be fun lol. Happy Easter y'all! I hope you all have a good day cuz y'all deserve it! I never imagined _Altered_ would get so much attention and I'm so happy y'all continue to read and enjoy it! **

***After they get the forms and are dismissed for the rest of the day Iruka, using a transformation Jutsu, tests all nine Genin deciding if they were ready or not for the Chunin Exams. I hope that part didn't confuse you.**

**To CrazyChimera: Hinata is still working on her Taijutsu and who better to train with than Rock Lee? I hope I do the Chunin Exams justice! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**LB Cat: Yay!! I'm glad you love it!!! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Splaaash-attack: Yeet! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**The Chunin Exams are next chapter and I'm excited! Hbu?!!? Leave your thoughts by reviewing and don't forget to Favorite and Follow!**

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**AN: Once more, I am not trying to bash either Sakura or Ino, I'm staying close to canon in this chapter including interactions, with some differences, Ino and Sakura's dialogue is close to canon and this is what they say...so I'm not bashing, I'm only accurate. I apologize if your offended by this.**

**Chapter Fourteen**

Hinata stood outside the academy with Shino, "I wonder where Kiba-kun is?" Hinata murmurs, looking at the gate, "We agreed to meet an hour early to get a good look at the other competitors."

Shino adjusts his glasses, "He's coming now," just then Kiba-kun turned the corner, he stopped as he hunched over, his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily, "I could hear him from here."

Kiba unzipped his coat halfway, "Are you okay Akamaru?" He asks, the dog yaps happily and jumps out of the jacket and runs to Hinata and Shino, Kiba hurrying after him, "Sorry I was late, my mom held me up."

"It's okay Kiba-kun," Hinata says with a smile, "Let's go inside now."

When they get to the second floor they see a group of people surrounding a door, on the door it said 'Room 314' the three glance at each other and decide to walk passed it and head to the stair case.

Kurenai is waiting in front of the Exam room when they arrive, "Kurenai-Sensei," the three greet with a bow.

Kurenai smiles at them, "I knew you'd three arrive together, and I'm glad you did, if you hadn't I wouldn't be able to let you pass, because in order to take the Chunin Exams you need to be a three man team."

"My sister gave it away after I told her we'd be entering as a team," Kiba says.

"I already knew this," Shino states, "Why? Because the Chunin Exams tests our capabilities as a Genin, and the most important thing for a Genin is the ability to work as a team."

"Neji-Nii-San told me," Hinata says sheepishly.

"I'm so proud of you all, you've come far in the short time we've been a team, and I'm proud to be your Sensei and to call you my team, I couldn't have asked for a better team to start my career off as a Jounin-Sensei," Kurenai hugs all three of them.

The group hug lasted a few minutes before Kurenai let go of them, "I'll see you soon, good luck."

The Jounin flickers away and the three Genin quietly enter the room, a lot of people were already there, but the room wasn't that crowded.

One team that caught Hinata's eyes right away was the one of the teams from Suna, the crimson hair of the youngest of the three stood out among the other Genin, but his cold jade eyes that seemed to be always glaring and staring into your soul was what she saw first.

The three find a place and lean against the wall, watching the other teams who in turn watched each other.

The other team that caught her eye was the Sound Team, she had heard rumors of a Sound Village from the elders, a new village that had just started up. Hinata was surprised to see a team already taking the Chunin Exams.

The door opens again and Team Eight look over and see Team Ten, the three Genin don't move far from the door, but come in Team Eight's general direction, Hinata catches Shikamaru's eyes, the Nara gives her a nod in greeting.

Around half an hour later Hinata noticed neither Team Seven nor Team Gai had arrived yet, they had about twenty minutes left.

Soon enough Team Gai walked through the doors, Neji immediately spots her and gives her a small smile, wishing her luck.

Hinata looks around the room again, 'There are so many Genin here,' she thinks, 'No wonder the Chunin Exams have multiple stages to weed out the Genin.'

Team Seven finally arrives, entering with a bang, everyone looks over at them, Hinata saw Ino walk over to them, and was initially confused to see her sneaking behind the three, and then when she jumped Sasuke, followed by Shikamaru and Choji walking over she understood.

Kiba lead Hinata and Shino over to the rest of the rookies, she felt the eyes of the other Genin and refused to let her nerves to get to her.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura," Kiba greets, "Looks like the Rookie Nine are back together again."

Naruto smiles widely, "Of course! Did you think we wouldn't take the Exams?"

"That thought never crossed my mind," Shikamaru says with a yawn, "You wouldn't let an opportunity to beat Sasuke pass you up."

Naruto nods, "Shikamaru gets it," he says, ignoring Sakura and Sasuke's annoyed glares.

"It's true Naruto's gotten stronger but he can't beat my Sasuke-kun," Sakura states.

"_Your _Sasuke-kun?!?" Ino hisses, keeping her voice down, she didn't want to draw any more attention to herself.

"Yeah Ino-Pig! Now get your hands off him!" Sakura yells, her voice almost echoing throughout the room.

The other rookies look around and see that all the Genin are staring at them.

"Keep it down Forehead-Girl," Ino snaps, "Way to draw all this attention to us!"

"Hey," The nine Genin look over and see a guy with silver hair and dark eyes walking towards them, he wore glasses and wore a purple outfit, "Keep it down over there, I know your all rookies but this isn't a class field trip you know."

Ino glares at him, "Oh yeah?! And who are you anyways?" She asks.

"Kabuto Yakushi, I know this is your first time and all but you need to calm down, everyone is on edge and all your doing is rubbing them the wrong way," Kabuto states, "You see them? The Rain Village Genin? Their touchy, they all are, it's the Chunin Exams after all."

"What do you want anyways?" Sakura asks.

"I'm just here to help, the Chunin Exams are very difficult after all, and your all rookies," Kabuto states.

"And your not? This is probably your first time too," Kiba says.

"This isn't my first time, it's my seventh actually, the Chunin Exams are two times a year," Kabuto says sheepishly, "But I know a lot about the Exams anyways."

"Yeah? So much for that, this is your seventh time, you just said if yourself," Shikamaru drawls.

Kabuto pulls out a thick deck of cards, "I haven't just been wasting my time all this time, these are my ninja info cards," Kabuto says, "All the information I've gathered from my other six attempts, you can't see what the cards hold since only my chakra can reveal them."

Kabuto flips one over, showing the blank surface, before crouching on the ground and placing it there, he holds one finger on it as the card spins around, "What're you doing?" Sakura asks.

"Revealing the information," he stops and picks the card up, showing them.

"It's a map," Shikamaru says dryly.

"A map of the distribution of the candidates from the different nations and villages," Kabuto says, "Why do you all think they come here to take the Exams all at the same?"

The Genin are quiet and Kabuto continues talking, "It's to foster friendship between the nations, international brotherhood and all that, and its true enough."

"But there's another reason," Sasuke says.

"It's to carefully regulate the total number of Shinobi that end up in each village, to maintain the balance of power," Kabuto states.

"Balance of power, big deal, it's all a drag," Shikamaru mutters.

"If the balance isn't maintained then one nation can wind up with more Shinobi and be tempted attack another nation," Kabuto says, "It makes sense I suppose."

"Hmph, do those cards have any information on the other candidates? If so can I see them?" Sasuke asks.

"I might, do you have someone in mind?" Kabuto asks.

"I might," Sasuke replies.

"Well I can't promise you anything but I've got something on just about anyone," Kabuto picks up the stack of cards, "Including you guys of course."

Hinata's eyes slightly narrow, _'This guy is kinda shady, he's helping us for absolutely no reason, and he claims to have information on all of us.'_

"Gaara of the Desert and Rock Lee of the Leaf Village while your at it," Sasuke says, breaking Hinata out of her thoughts, the Hyuuga glances over at him.

"Ah, you know their names, that's not fun," Kabuto, looks through his cards and picks out two, "Here they are," he says as he holds them up, looking over the cards at the Genin.

"Show them to me," Sasuke says, glaring down at them.

"Alright, up first is Rock Lee," Kabuto says, Hinata looks at the silver haired boy, interested in what he knew about her friend, "Looks like he's about a year older than you..mission experience looks like eleven C-ranks and 20 D-ranks."

Hinata looks over at Team Gai, Neji was watching them and they made eye contact, Hinata smiles at him, she looks at Tenten who looked to be looking at the other candidates while Rock Lee was also looking at the Rookie Nine.

"His team leader is Gai," Hinata isn't sure but she thinks Sakura and Naruto shiver when Kabuto mentions him, "And in the last twelve months his Taijutsu has radically improved but his other skills are pretty shaky, last year he got a lot of attention as a Genin, but didn't participate, so it's his first time like you guys."

_'He must've been watching them for a long time, but how could he know this? They weren't even apart of the Chunin Exams in the last four years, and he says he's a Genin of the Leaf but I've never seen him before,' _Hinata eyes narrow at him again.

"And his teammates are Tenten and Neji Hyuuga," Kabuto finishes.

"I already knew half of what you just said," Shikamaru mutters.

"Next up is Gaara of the Desert," Kabuto says before revealing the card, "Mission experience, Eight C-Ranks and one B-rank, there's not a lot of information on this guy, he's a rookie from another land originally..but get this, he's survived every mission without getting a scratch on him," Kabuto states.

"The dudes done a B-Rank as a Genin, but hasn't even been injured!" Shikamaru says, shocked by the information.

"What's with this guy?!" Naruto says, looking at the card incredulously.

Hinata glances around at the Rookie, and then at the red head they were talking about, _'I knew there was something strange..but I couldn't have guessed this.'_

Kabuto reveals another map, "Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, Sound, from the looks of it they all sent exceptionally talented Genin this time around," Kabuto says, "Of course the Hidden Sound Village is small, it only sprang up recently, those guys are a mystery."

Kabuto picks up the card, "Just because the Village is small doesn't mean you should underestimate then," Hinata says quietly.

"You guys get the point, the competition is going to be intense this year," Kabuto states.

"Do you really think it's gonna tougher this time?" Sakura asks.

"Oh yeah, in the four years I've been coming, I've never seen a drop of candidates with as much potential as this one," Kabuto says.

"Hm," Naruto closes his eyes, _'I'm gonna defeat Sasuke and that mummy guy, these guys don't scare me!'_

"Yep," Kabuto says, "We got our work cut out for us."

"Naruto are you okay?" Sakura asks, watching Naruto shaking, _'Maybe I should try to cheer him up_.'

Sakura walks up to him, "Hey Naruto, don't worry it'll be fine."

Hinata looks at Naruto, _'I don't think he's nervous or scared.'_

Hinata was proven right when Naruto turned and pointed at the other Genin with a shout, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! And I'm going to beat all of you!" Naruto yells.

"What're you trying do?! Get us killed?!" Ino yells.

_'I should've know he wasn't smart enough to be scared,' _Sakura thinks.

"Tell your boyfriend to keep his big mouth shut!" Ino yells at Sakura.

"Who's boyfriend?!"

"Oh I forgot you can't get one!"

"Oh yeah! I feel a lot better now!" Naruto says cheerfully placing his hands behind his head.

Sasuke smirks, nodding at his teammate while

Kabuto smirks, amused by the blond.

The other Genin all glare at them, talking amongst themselves.

"You heard what he said about the Sound Village? He called us little, a mystery," one of the Genin from the Sound says.

"We should teach him a lesson," the female says.

"Yeah," the leader of three says, "We should teach him that the Sound Village Shinobi shouldn't be underestimated, and that anyone who insults the Sound Shinobi should be ready for the consequences."

"Ugh, can you say that a little louder?" Kiba asks, "Didn't quite catch it."

"Do you want everyone in here to hate our guts?" Shikamaru says.

Naruto starts laughing but is cut off when Sakura grabs him from behind yelling at him, "Naruto! You idiot! Why'd you go and say something! You obnoxious little-" Sakura freaks out when she sees everyone's glares, "Oh! Sorry about him everyone! Sometimes he's spazzes and says these stupid things! He really should be on medication," Sakura says sheepishly.

"Look what you did Naruto!" Sakura yells shaking her fist in the air, "You hurt everyone's feelings! Now they think you disrespect and that's not true is it!"

"Ready?"

"Let's do it!"

"Would you just once in your life think about what your doing? Think about what your doing to the rest of us?" Sakura shouts.

Suddenly the three Sound Village Shinobi appear in front of Kabuto, the leader attacking Kabuto, who's able to jump back and dodge the attack at an impressive speed.

_'He's quick,' _Hinata thinks.

Kabuto's glasses suddenly crack and he gasps, "Oh I get it, so it was that kind've attack," Kabuto says.

"Wait a minute, I saw all of it, the attack didn't land," Sasuke states walking forward.

"It must've been closer than it looked," Shikamaru says, "Look at him acting all tough."

Kabuto suddenly falls on his knees and throws up.

"What..did he just!" Naruto stutters.

"What's wrong Kabuto!" Sakura says.

"Hmph," the leader of the Sound team says, "It seems like he isn't that strong after all."

"Write this down on your notes punk, the Sound Genin are gonna be Chunin by the end of this," the other male states.

Suddenly a large smoke cloud appears at the front of the room and a man's voice bellows out, "Alright you maggots! Pipe down and listen up!"

The smoke clears revealing a tall Jounin dressed in black with a scar across his face and Chunin who all stood behind him.

"I'm Ibiki Morino, the proctor for his Exam, and from here on...your worst enemy," Ibiki states with a smirk.

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: That took a long time to write...and a lot of bingeing on the Chunin Exams Arc lol. Another chapter done! Yeet!**

**So yeah, I changed up some scenes and the dialogue, and also, I was rewatching Naruto while I wrote this and personally, Hinata's suspicions aren't unfounded...he's super creepy and shady lol.**

**To LB Cat: I like looking into what the other rookies are thinking and feeling, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter! I also hope you had an amazing Easter as well!**

**To Hinatapaths: Thank you for reviewing! I hope it was worth the wait and you enjoyed the chapter!**

**A special thank you to hikari0605 and Mystic Blade Works for Favoriting and Following _Altered_ I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts by reviewing and don't forget to Favorite and Follow!**

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Fifteen**

"I'm Ibiki Morino, the proctor for this exam," the man states, "And from here on..your worst enemy."

Ibiki points in the direction of the Rookie Nine and the Sound Team, "You! The Sound Team! Knock it off! Who told you could fight?! You want to be failed before you've even begun!"

"Sorry sir," the leader of the three says, "I guess were bit a jumpy."

"Hmph," Ibiki smirks, "I'm gonna tell you all this now, combat is forbidden and if you do fight another candidate your immediately disqualified!" He states.

"Now, if we're ready, we'll preceed to the first round of the Exams, hand over your paperwork, in return you'll each be given a number, that number will determine where you'll sit for the written test, which will start once your all seated," Ibiki announces, holding a paper up with the number one on it.

Hinata looks over at Naruto, the blonds eyes were wide, _'Naruto-kun doesn't do well on written tests...he might choke,' _Hinata thinks, _'I'm sure he'll do well though, he is the future Hokage after all.'_

Hinata looks around the classroom, sentinels were seated along the walls, and were watching everyone, Ibiki stood at the front, looking over the classroom.

Hinata glances to her left at the orange clad ninja next to her, _'I'm surprised they let us sit next to each other, even if we're not on the same team we are still good friends, this might be a good thing though. I may be able to help Naruto-kun.'_

"Eyes up front!" Everyone looks to Ibiki who taps his chalk against the board, "Listen up, I'm going to go over some rules for the exam, there are no questions allowed."

_'No questions?' _Hinata thinks, _'That's weird..'_

"Rule number is this, the written part of the exam is conducted on a point reduction system. Contrary to what your used to, you'll all start with a perfect score of ten," Ibiki begins, "One point will be deducted for each question you get wrong, so if you get three wrong that's a seven."

_'And if I get ten wrong that's a zero,' _Naruto thinks.

"Rule number two, teams will pass or fail on the total scores of all three members," Ibiki says.

"Wait a minute!" Sakura yells, "Your saying we all get scored as a team!"

"Silence! I have my reasons," Ibiki states, "Rule number three, the sentinels you see positioned around the room are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating, and for every incident your caught they will deduct two points from your score."

"Huh?!"

"Be warned, their eyes are extremely sharp, and if they catch you five times you'll be dismissed before the test is even scored...anyone fool enough to be caught by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here," Ibiki says.

"I've got my eye on you guys," one of the sentinels says with a smirk.

"If you want to be considered Shinobi, then show us what exceptional Shinobi you can be," Ibiki says, "One more thing...if any candidate happens to get a zero, their entire team will fail."

"The final question won't be given out until the last fifteen minutes of the testing period..you'll have one hour total..Begin!"

Hinata signs her name quickly before placing her pencil down and looking over the questions, _'These are difficult questions..I'm sure only a handful of the candidates in the room can answer these,' _Hinata thinks, _'Sakura-san won't have a problem, but I can't say the same for Naruto-kun.'_

Naruto glances at the sentinels and sees one of them mark something down, _'Already?! It's barely been ten minutes since the test started!' _The blond glances at Hinata, the Hyuuga seemed to be in deep thought, _'I wonder if she'll be able to answer these questions.'_

Hinata glances around the room, _'Kiba-kun and Shino-kun..I'm sure they'll find a way, but it seems the only way to pass this test...is to cheat. Come to think of it, Ibiki mentioned cheating a lot, and only two points per incident? Usually your kicked out as soon as your caught...does he want us to cheat?? That makes sense, the sentinels, the strange rules..Ibiki is daring us to cheat..so in other words..this is a test of our infomation gathering skills.'_

Hinata looks down at her paper again, focusing on her chakra, _'Byakugan!' _Hinata feels the veins protrude on the sides of her face, she skims over all the tests in the room, and finds a Genin with an already filled out test on his desk, _'So they planted some Chunin among us..this test is sneaky, and I'm sure the others have already figured it out.'_

Hinata begins writing down the answers, and as soon as she finishes, she deactivates her Byakugan, she hears Akamaru quietly barking, _'Kiba-kun placed Akamaru on his head so Akamaru can give him answers..and I'm sure Shino-kun is using his bugs to gather information. Our team will pass for sure, this test is easy for us.'_

Naruto mentally freaks out next to her, he glances around the room and sees Hinata's test was filled out, _'Already??? We're fifteen minutes in! She couldn't have written down all the answers in such a short amount of time unless she cheated!' _Naruto thinks.

Hinata looks over at him and catches Naruto's eyes, she gives him a small smile before returning to look at the front of the room.

Sakura smirks as she continues to power through the test, _'Naruto...you better not blow this for us!' _She thinks, and suddenly gasps as Ino takes over her body using the Mind Transfer Jutsu

Ino falls forward on her desk, as Sakura picks up her own test and starts scanning over it, _'Thanks for letting me hang out in your soul for awhile Forehead-Girl, even if it's a little cramped. I gotta memorize these questions quickly and than pass them on to Choji and Shikamaru! No doubt they already know what I'm doing.'_

Neji deactivates his Byakugan, _'Good job Hinata, I see you figured it out as well,' _Neji thinks, having looked over her test and saw all the answers filled out, _'She must've spotted the Chunin near the front with all the answers on his test as well.'_

Sasuke uses his Sharingan to copy the movements of the Genin in front of him, _'I hit the jackpot with this guy, cmon Naruto, you can figure this out.'_

Tenten adjusts the mirrors above her as she copies off one of the Genin behind her, _'Lee, adjust your head band when you can see the mirrors.'_

Lee takes his headband and ties it around his forehead, _'Message received Tenten.'_

Hinata watches the clock, _'All I have to worry about now is the final question,' _she glances at Naruto again, who seemed to be having a meltdown, _'Naruto-kun definitely noticed I cheated..but he's to worried about being caught to try..'_

A kunai flies between Hinata and Naruto and lands on the test of the Genin behind the Hyuuga, "You! Five times and your out," a sentinel states.

"W-What!" The Genin stutters, "Wheres the proof I cheated!!" He yells.

"You were caught five times," the Chunin repeats, "Now get your team and get out. You failed."

Slowly but surely the other sentinels called out numbers, and many teams of Genin were disqualified.

_'Teams are dropping like flies now,' _Kiba thinks, _'Twenty minutes left too. Thanks to Akamaru I only have a few more questions left, better focus on that and finish.'_

Shino holds out his finger as his beetle lands on it, _'Both Kiba and Hinata have realized the true test by now..we won't have any trouble moving onto the next round of the Exams.'_

_'Hmph, now that we've weeded out most of the hopeless cases, fifteen minutes to go, time for the main event,' _Ibiki thinks, "Alright! Listen up! Time for the tenth question!"

_'It's all or nothing now,' _Naruto thinks.

"But before I give you the question, there are some more rules you need to be aware of," Ibiki announces.

The door creaks as it opens and a Sand Shinobi enters along with the sentinel in charge of him, "Huh?"

"Just in time for the tenth question," Ibiki says, "I hope you found your trip to the bathroom enlightening."

The Sand Shinobi's eyes narrow, _'He's seen through the Crows disquise! He's on to us.'_

"Take your seat," Ibiki says.

He returns to his seat, passing on a cheat sheet to one of his teammates along the way, and Ibiki continues once he's seated.

"Now listen up, these rules are unique to the tenth question," Ibiki states, "So try not to let them frighten you."

Naruto gulps, _'If even the rules are frightening..then what's the question?'_

"Very well then, rule number one, each of you has the choice of doing the tenth question, it's up to you if you choose to take it or not," Ibiki announces.

_'Free to choose?' _Hinata thinks.

"Woah! So what's the catch! Let's say I choose not to take it, what happens then?" A blond Sand Shinobi from the back demands.

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of your answers to the other nine, you get a zero, in other words you fail, and that means. of course, both your teammates fail as well," the remaining Genin burst into murmurs, "Quiet! You didn't let me finish, if you decide to take the final question and get it wrong, you'll not only fail..but you'll be banned from taking the Chunin Exams ever again!"

"Hey that's bull! That's bogus man! What kind of ridiculous rule is that! There are plenty of Genin here who've taken the Exams before!" Kiba yells as he stands up, Akamaru barking in agreement.

Ibiki starts to laugh, "I guess your just...unlucky, I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course if you don't want to take it, you don't have too. If your not feeling confident, then you can always come back and take it next year."

Hinata's eyes narrow, _'You can either choose not to answer the tenth question and fail and take it next year, or you can choose to take the final question and chance it on whether or not you'll be banned from the Exams ever again. That's a tough choice..but I'm staying, I'll leave if either Kiba-kun or Shino-kun decide to, but I doubt that'll happen.'_

"Now then, if your ready, the tenth or final question..those who don't want to take it raise your hand, your number will be recorded and then your free to go," Ibiki announces.

_'What can the question be? If I fail, I'll become a Genin for the rest of my life the way things are going! But I can't just skip it! Then we all fail! I can't do that to the others!' _Naruto thinks.

_'I'm good, but what about Naruto? I don't think he'll be able to handle it. Go on Naruto! Raise your hand, we'll be okay,' _Sakura thinks.

A pencil drops and a Genin stands up, "I-I can't do it..I'm sorry."

"Number Fifty! Fail! That means number thirty and thirty-six as well," a sentinel states.

The Genin who quit apologizes as he leaves the room with his teammates, and then more Genin give up as well.

Sakura watches Naruto closely, _'Why isn't he raising his hand? Hokage, Hokage, Hokage, he has a one track mind, that dream is all he's got. It would kill him to have it taken away from him. But he's to stubborn to raise his hand,' _she thinks, _'I can't let you do it to yourself Naruto.'_

Sakura starts to raise her hand but drops it and gasps when she sees Naruto slowly raise his hand.

Naruto grits his teeth as he raises his hand in the air, and then he suddenly slams his hand down shocking everybody.

"Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act all tough all you want! But you won't scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life...I'll still be Hokage someday!" Naruto yells and sits down.

"This decision is one that can change your life, if for any reason you decide to quit, nows your last chance," Ibiki states.

"No way! I don't go back on my word, that's my ninja way!" Naruto says.

_'Remarkable, that little outburst has given the rest of them some backbone and now their staying..hm, 78 left, more than I expected,' _Ibiki thinks, _'But I don't see anyone wavering, so that's it.'_

"Well then, I admire your determination if anything else. For those of you remaining there's only one thing for me to tell you..and that's, that you all pass the first round of the Exams," Ibiki says.

Silence falls over the room.

"Wait what?! What do you mean we pass!" Sakura yells, "Where's the tenth question!"

"Ha, there never was one! Not a written one at least, actually your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question!"

"Wait a minute!" The Sand Shinobi from before says, "Are you saying the other nine questions were just a waste time?!"

"Not at all! Quite the opposite, the first nine questions had an important overriding purpose. To test your ability to surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstances," Ibiki says.

"Oh, well that explains everything," the blond girl says.

"Let me explain, you see my objective was to test you all not only as individuals but as a team. And on how well you function as a part of that team, that's why the test was scored on a team basis. So you'd know that everything you did or failed to do, would directly affect your teammates. I wanted to see how you'd handle the pressure," Ibiki explains.

Naruto nods, "Yeah, I figured it was something like that, that's why I kept my cool," The Uzumaki states.

_'Yeah right,' _Sakura thinks.

Hinata giggles, "Of course Naruto-kun."

"The first nine questions on the test were difficult, and as you may have guessed, too difficult for any Genin to solve. I imagine most of you quickly came to that conclusion, that you have to cheat to have any chance of passing. In fact, the test was designed to encourage cheating, it almost demanded it! Of course it would've done you little good unless you had someone to cheat from. So I had two Chunin who already knew the answers sit in with you," Ibiki explains.

_'The answers were right in front me!' _Naruto thinks incredulously.

"Hahaha! Oh come on! I wasn't fooled for a second! You'd have to be a complete doofus not to know! Right Hinata!" Naruto says, Hinata giggles again as she turns to him.

_'Incredible..so all this time he didn't even know?' _Sasuke thinks with a sweat drop.

"Those who were caught at it failed, better not to cheat than to cheat clumsily," Ibiki pulls off his bandana, "Information, it can be your most valuable information in battle..how well you gather intelligence can determine whether the mission is a failure or a success."

"They'll be times you have to risk your life to get it!" He states.

_'What happened to his head? The pain he must've endured..' _Hinata thinks, looking at the scars and burns.

"Of course you must always consider the source of your information, intelligence gathered from the enemy is not always accurate. Always bare this in mind, disinformation can be worse than no information at all, it can lead to the death of comrades and even the destruction of villages. That's why I put you in the position that you had to gather accurate intelligence, to cheat in order to survive! And that's why those who weren't good enough at it were weeded out, leaving the rest of you."

"Okay...but I'm still not getting what the tenth question was all about," the Sand Shinobi states.

"Not getting it? The tenth question was what this entire exam is all about! Surely you see that?"

"Ugh, sure, but explain it anyways," Sakura says.

"As I said before, the goal was to test you not only as an individual but as an entire squad. The tenth question gave you two choices, both difficult. You could choose to play it safe and skip the question, though it meant your entire team would be failed. Or you could try and answer it, knowing if you got it wrong, you could lose the chance to become Chunin, either way it was a no win situation," Ibiki says, "But it's the same choice Chunin have to face everyday."

"Let me give you a hypothetical situation. A mission to steal a document from an enemy strong hold. You have no idea how many ninja the enemy has, or how armed they are. Furthermore you have reason to believe the enemy expects you, that you might be walking into a trap. Now you have the chance to skip out on this mission, and you and your comrades live to fight another day. Can you choose to avoid danger? No! There will be many mission that almost seem suicidal. You do not think about it, you only focus on the goal. Achieving it through courage and discipline. These are the qualities required of a Chunin squad leader. Those who choose the safe path, those whose determination falters in the face of adversity, those who put their comrades lives in jeopardy and only worrying about their own...those who would save their own necks at the price of sacred honor. Will never be able to call themselves Chunin As long as I am here! As forthe rest of you, you've passed through the first gate, and this part of the Chunin selection Exam is finished."

Suddenly a shadow crashes through the window and throws two shuriken, pinning up a banner and a woman with purple hair and eyes stands up with a smirk, "Heads up boys and girls! This is no time to be celebrating! I'll be your next proctor! Anko Mitarashi!"

"Your early, again," Ibiki says, Anko blushes in embarrassment.

"All these kids passed? Ibiki, your getting soft, your test wasn't hard enough," Anko states.

"Or it could that it's a stronger bunch of candidates this year," Ibiki says.

"Well they sure don't look it, trust me, before I'm done with them, more than half of them will be eliminated!" Anko grins, "This'll be fun."

_'More than half?' _Hinata thinks.

"Alright listen up maggots, the real test starts tomorrow morning, I'll let your squad leaders know where you need to be, until then, goodbye!" Anko states.

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: The next chapters won't be to the book like these past two have been lol. I just didn't want to get anything wrong. Next chapter the second round of the Chunin Exams begins...I wonder what'll happen.**

**To CrazyChimera: The writing portion is definitely not the most interesting, but I didn't want to skip over it and rush the Exams like I've done in previous stories I've written but never posted. Thank you for the review and confidence booster! I hope I've done this chapter justice and that you enjoy it!**

**To LB Cat: Thank you for the review and I hope you continue to enjoy _Altered_!**

**To Guest: Thank you for reviewing and I'm glad you like the story and I hope you continue to enjoy _Altered_! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**A special thank you to Drakon LightShield for favoriting _Altered_ I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts by reviewing and don't forget to Favorite and Follow! **

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Sixteen**

Hinata was glad they had a day to rest before the second portion of the Chunin Exams...Training Ground Forty-Four, also known as the Forest of Death, was unsettling and forboding.

A tall wire fence surrounded the entire training ground, and she noticed several gates leading inside of it. Anko stood in front of it with her hands on her hips acting as if she ruled the place.

Hinata glances at her teammates, Kiba was smirking confidently and Shino remained quiet and indifferent as usual, _'Am I the only one getting a strange feeling about this place?'_

"This whole place just creeps me out," Sakura murmurs, she and Sasuke stood over to the left over Team Eight, Naruto a few feet in front of them looking around.

"It should," Anko says with a grin, "This place is called the Forest of Death, and soon enough your gonna find out why."

Naruto huffs, "They call it the Forest of Death! And soon your gonna find out why!" He says in a mocking manner, "Do you worst!! Your not gonna scare me away!"

"Oh," Anko says, "It looks like we got ourselves a tough guy," she whips out a kunai and throws it at Naruto, scraping his cheek.

She appears behind Naruto a second later, "Can you handle this? Your not afraid are you? Tough guys like you usually leave their blood all over this Forest," she suddenly tenses and turns with a kunai out.

"I was just returning your knife," a Grass ninja says, her extremely long tongue holding the kunai to Anko who takes it.

"Why thank you Grass nin, but I don't recommend you stand that close to my back unless you want to meet a premature end," Anko states with a grin.

Hinata watches all of this unfold silently, _'Who is this woman? And that Grass Ninja...What was up with her tongue?' _A foreboding feeling washed over her again when she looked back to the Forest before focusing on Anko again.

"Seems like everyone here is quite tempered today, must be something in the air...this is gonna be fun," Anko says with a grin.

_'Tempered! Sheesh! Your the one who throw a kunai at me!' _Naruto thinks angrily.

Anko walks up to her place in front of everyone, "Now before we begin this test, I have something to hand out to you all. It's just a standard consent form. Before the test all of you are going to have to read over this and sign it."

"What for?" Naruto asks.

"Some of you may not come back from this test and I have to get your consent for that risk, otherwise that'd be my responsibility," Anko answers with a chuckle.

"Now! I'll explain what you'll be doing on this test, here first, pass these out," Anko says handing the stack to Naruto, "The first thing you need to know is that this test will tax everyone one of your survival skills."

_'Survival? I wouldn't expect anything else looking at the examination sight,' _Hinata thinks.

"Now first I'm going to explain the terrain of the battlefield," Anko starts, "The Fourty Fourth Training Ground has fourty-four locked entrance gates, there are rivers and a forest inside. In the center there is a locked tower, it is in this confined area that you will undergo this survival test. The test consists of...anything goes battle to get your hands on these scrolls," Anko states as she pulls two different scrolls out of her coat.

"Two scrolls?" Shikamaru asks.

"You'll be fighting to get both a Heaven Scroll and an Earth Scroll," Anko explains.

"All together 26 teams will be taking part in this test together, so only half of those teams will be going after the Heaven Scroll and the other half will be going after the Earth Scroll," Anko says, "I'll hand one Scroll over to each team and that's what you'll be vying for."

"Okay..so what's the test?" Sasuke asks.

"Your entire team must bring an Earth Scroll and a Heaven Scroll to the Tower," Anko states.

"So that means at the very best half of us fail, more if not every team is able to get both the scrolls!" Sakura says.

"No one ever said it would be easy," Anko says, "Oh and one more thing, the test has a time limit, you must finish it in five days."

"Five days out there!" Ino yells.

"What are we going to do for food!" Choji shouts.

"Just look around! The Forest is full of things to eat, there's plenty to feed all of you," Anko says.

"Yeah but that's not all the Forest has plenty of," Kabuto says, "The Forest is filled with man eating bests, and poisonous plants."

"Oh man!" Choji groans.

"Quiet down! They call it a survival exam for a reason!" Ino says.

"That means with these circumstances there's no way half the teams will be passing the test," Neji says.

"With the days getting longer, the nights are getting shorter. We'll have less time to sleep and less time to recover...a true challenge indeed!" Lee says with his good guy stance.

"Completely surrounded by enemies, there won't be time to rest, we have to keep watch at all times," Sasuke says.

"Right, this test also measures endurance behind enemy lines. This is _designed_ to be a grueling test and I'm sure some of you won't be up to the challenge," Anko states.

"So um, let's say mid exam I quit?" Shikamaru asks with his hand raised.

"Of course not! In the middle of the battle you can't say I'm sorry but I quit..well you could say that but it's probably gonna get you killed," Anko says with a laugh.

"Oh just great, this is gonna be a drag," Shikamaru mutters.

"There are also someways you can be disqualified," Anko says, "The first is simple, if all three members of the team can't make it to the tower with both scrolls after five days. Two if a team loses a member or if a member becomes incapacitated and cannot continue..but most important. None of you, absolutely none of you may look at the contents of your scrolls before you reach the tower."

"But what if the Scroll happens to flap open and you read it?" Naruto asks.

"Let me put it to you this way young man. You. Don't. Want. To. Know."

Naruto groans in response to her answer.

"There are times when a ninja will be asked to carry secret documents, the Scroll rule is to test your integrity. Okay we're done, each team take your consent forms and exchange them for a Scroll. After that each team pick a gate and you'll be led inside," Anko explains.

"Oh! And I have one more word of advice. Just don't die!"

The teams spread out into groups as they talk and fill out the forms.

Hinata glances over to the booth and sees the sentinels in charge of it are putting up a curtain and pulling it out, _'We don't know which team has which Scroll...so stealing information is a matter of life in death in this situation..'_

"This place sure is creepy...but this test is a real challenge. I'm mean sure at first I was put off by Ibiki but his test was easy..for us at least," Kiba says casting a look in the direction Naruto went off in.

"Kiba-Kun, you know written tests aren't Naruto-Kun's favorite...and besides none of us would've passed that test if cheating wasn't the answer," Hinata says, "Speaking of Naruto, Anko-San gave him a nasty cut with her kunai, I'm gonna go give him one of my salves," the Hyuuga adds before leaving.

She walks passed what looks like an argument between Sakura and Ino and spots Naruto leaning against a tree with his form in his hands, "Naruto-Kun," The blond looks up and grins at her.

"Hi Hinata-Chan! Oh! Isn't that one of your salves?" Naruto asks, puzzled by why she had it out.

"It's for your cheek, and maybe it will be useful in the exam as well," Hinata says, handing it to him.

Before Naruto can take it they hear a sentinel yell, "We're giving out the scrolls now!" The blond rushes over to his team completely forgetting the salve.

Hinata watches him go, _'Maybe it will become useful later,'_ she thinks before walking back to her own team.

All the teams exchange their forms for scrolls and soon enough they all stood in front of their gates.

Team Eight stood in front of Gate Sixteen.

"Wahoo! We rock at survival there is no way we can lose!" Kiba says as he pets Akamaru who currently stayed inside his jacket, "Let's do our best guys!"

The sentinels unlock the gates and then face the Genin standing in front of them.

"Alright you maggots! The second part of the test has begun!" Anko yells.

All the Genin head inside at once.

Team Eight jump into a clearing and the three face each other, "Alright, first thing we gotta do is to find it. Ready Hinata?" Kiba asks.

"Yes...Byakugan!" Hinata says, the veins protrude on either side of her face, "I can see where the tower is," she deactivates her Byakugan.

"So if the tower is where everybody is headed, I just say we set a trap and take the scrolls off whoever we catch," Kiba states, Akamaru sniffs and growls and Kiba grins, "Well well, we got company."

"What a bunch of idiots!" One of the Genin watching Team says, "Standing out in the open like this as if they want to get caught."

"Well it seems they've sensed our presence," the second says, "But they are all such lame ninja that they can't even sense our presence."

"Ugh," The first says, causing his teammates to turn to him in concern.

"Hey what's wrong! W-What's in your shirt!" The collar pulls down and they see a huge fat leech on the back of his neck, "What is that thing!"

More leeches fall from the trees and the Genin yell in terror.

"Well, looks like the leeches found them," Kiba says, "They sense body temperature and perspiration and once they find their prey they swoop down together. If they suck your blood for five minutes it's all over. These predators are smart and we've taken that had our advantage and trapped our enemies."

"G-Get off of me," one of the trapped Genin says as he struggles to get up, and pulls on the wire, "W-What?"

They're pulled into a net and all scream.

"One team down," Kiba says with a smirk.

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: Hello! The next chapter will be the continuation of the Forest of Death, and where oddly enough Gaara became my favorite character lol.**

**To LB Cat: Thanks for the kind words, your review really touched and made me smile. Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To Momeitoria: Thank you so much for the review and Follow! I'm so glad you found my story and that you enjoy it! I will take your suggestions into consideration. That's two for ShikaHina so far! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts by reviewing and don't forget to Favorite and Follow!**

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Seventeen**

Team Eight jumped and ran through the Forest of Death, the screams of the trapped Genin faded as they ran further towards the middle and to the Tower.

"We were lucky they fell for that trap back there and that the team had an Earth Scroll," Kiba says with a smirk as the three Genin and Akamaru continue to run.

"Yes now we can head straight to the Tower, it's best we avoid running into enemies. Why? Because we wouldn't want to lose our scrolls," Shino states.

Hinata nods in agreement, "Shino-Kun is right, we should just head straight to the tower, the test just began and we have the advantage of arriving early since I can lead us straight to the tower."

Kiba grins, "That's right! Team Eight will be the first team to pass!"

Akamaru sniffs the air a second before Kiba joins him and they come to a stop on a thick branch, "Hold on! We have to stop!" Kiba states.

"Why?" Shino asks as he and Hinata come to a stop on either side of Kiba and Akamaru.

"You wanted us to avoid enemies right?" Kiba asks, "Alright Hinata, I want you to check a kilometer in that direction!" Kiba says as he points in the direction of the scent he and Akamaru picked up.

"Byakugan!" Hinata looks forward one kilometer in the direction Kiba asked and sees the red haired Genin, Gaara if she remembered correctly, "There is someone there."

Shino crouches lowly to the ground and lays his head on the large branch, "It seems..there are six people there."

"Alright! Let's check it out!" Kiba says.

Hinata looks at him in surprise as her Byakugan fades.

"Kiba, what are you talking about? We're not going to do that," Shino states.

"Why not?" Kiba asks, "The test administrator said we could take a Heaven and an Earth Scroll, but she didn't say we could take more than that!"

"I don't think that's such a good idea Kiba-Kun," Hinata says, "We should head to the Tower and be done with the test. That way we get a long rest to prepare for the next round."

"Don't worry! First we'll check it out and we'll leave if it looks to dangerous to battle them," Kiba says, "Now come on let's go!"

The Inuzuka takes off leaving Shino and Hinata there, a moment later the two take off after him, _'There's that forboding feeling again..is it because of Gaara?' _Hinata thinks, having recognized the boy she saw in the clearing.

The two land next to Akamaru and Kiba, Akamaru was trembling and whimpering on the ground next to Kiba, "What's wrong with Akamaru?" Hinata asks, "You suddenly stopped."

Akamaru continues whimpering as he climbs into the safety of Kiba's jacket, "Something must've spooked the little guy," Kiba says.

"What could've scared him?" Hinata asks, glancing up ahead.

"I'm not sure, Akamaru has the ability to sense an enemies chakra levels. I've never seen him react like this before...whoever those guys up ahead are...they are not normal," Kiba says.

"Can you believe the nerve of these Sand Village Genin?" One of the three ninja says.

Two ninja teams stood opposite of each other. The Sand Team and a Rain Team.

"Yeah, does he really think he can take us on?"

The Sand Ninja stand in silence, Hinata noted the red head seemed a bit off.

"To bad kids, you should've picked your opponents better," the leader of the Rain Team says.

"I've heard enough out of you, let's make this quick I don't want to waste time on this guy," Gaara states.

Kankurō glances at him, _'We don't even know which Scroll these guys have...' _"Hey Gaara? Doesn't it make more sense to follow these punks and gather information first? I mean if they have the same Scroll as us we're just fighting an unnecessary battle."

"I don't care," the three Genin watching freeze at the cold tone the red head uses, "They looked at me the wrong way so they are gonna die."

Kankurō and Temari flinch back, eyes widening, Team Eight's eyes widen too. While the Rain Team seems to get more agitated by the moment.

_'Ugh, this is exactly why I didn't want to be stuck in the Forest with him,' _Kankurō thinks.

"If you think you can kill us! Then try it!" The leader of the Rain Team yells, throwing his umbrellas in the air, "And now...Senbon Rainstorm!" Senbons rain down in all directions over the clearing.

Gaara merely blinks, watching the leader.

"Up, down, left, right, no matter where you go I can get you, there's no blind spot in this Jutsu and it's deadly accurate," he focuses his Jutsu on Gaara and releases the senbon, "Ha!"

When the dust clears it's revealed that Gaara is protected by a dome of sand protecting him, "Is that all you can do?"

"I-It can't be! Not one wound! Impossible!" He grits his teeth and sends more senbon at Gaara but the sand rises up and protects him.

"Senbon huh? How about I make it rain blood instead."

Hinata quietly activates her Byakugan, scanning over the clearing and the Genin, trying to find a way out of this mess.

"That guys chakra is insane, and that sand..it has an odor," Kiba whispers.

"Odor?" Shino asks, glancing at his teammate.

"Yeah, it smells like..._blood_."

Hinata glances back at him, _'Blood?!'_

The Rain Genin flinch hearing Gaara's threat.

"He's created a wall of sand!" The leader yells.

"That's right, and nothing can get through it. He carries all that sand in the gourd on his back, and when he's attacked he uses the power of his chakra to harden the sand. It's a Jutsu that only Gaara can do, and somehow it happens automatically, independent of his will. So any attacks thrown at Gaara are doomed to fail," Kankurō states.

"Yeah?! Well we'll see!"

"Just face it, you can't hope to fight Gaara."

Hinata's eyes widen as she watches the leader of the Rain Team run forward at Gaara, _'This isn't gonna end well...'_

Gaara glares at the rain nin approaching and brings his hands together in a hand sign, and Kankurō and Temari smirk.

_'Well that punks a dead man,' _Kankurō thinks.

_'We warned him not to mess with Gaara,' _the blond thinks.

Gaara's hands shift, one falling back into different hand sign, the other coming forward and making another, "Sand Coffin!"

The sand on the ground underneath the Rain Ninja's feet violently wraps around his foot and over his leg, coming to surround his body, except for his face, the man lets out a shocked yell as he begins struggling, "I..can't move!"

The umbrellas fall to the ground, and Gaara walks forward to grab one, "All I have to do is cover your big mouth and you'll be dead," he picks the umbrella up and opens it, "But that would be to easy and to boring."

Gaara holds the opened umbrella over his head as he opens his hand and moves it forward, the sand holding the ninja goes high into the sky, Gaara glares up at the ninja, closing his hand into a fist, "Sand Burial," Just as Gaara said it would, it rains blood all over the clearing.

Team Eight completely freezes at this point, _'He killed him so easily,' _Hinata thinks, having started to tremble, _'No wonder Akamaru was so scared of him...and he doesn't seem to be done yet..'_

"The corpses bitter crimson tears flow and mingle with the endless sand, feeding the chaos within me..and making me stronger," Gaara says.

The Rain Ninja tremble as one comes forward and places a scroll on the ground, "H-Here take this! Don't kill us!"

"Yes! Please spare us!"

Gaara doesn't say anything as his hands move and the sand covers the two remaining Sand Nin, he quickly kills them.

The screams only further Team Eight's fear as they tremble and shake with fear, the scene they had witnessed forever engraved in their minds, "W-We need to get out of here," Kiba whispers, the other two nod and the three turn and start to leave.

"Just shut up...it's not over yet," Gaara says, turning and looking in Team Eight's direction.

The three freeze and don't dare to move an inch _'Crap! Did he see us?!' _Kiba thinks.

"C'mon Gaara, let's go," Kankurō says.

"What are you scared? Coward," Gaara murmurs.

Kankurō frowns as he starts walking back to the other two, "Listen Gaara, I know this test is no problem for you..but it's dangerous for me and Temari, one set of scrolls is good enough, it's all we need to pass," He states as he stops in front of Gaara.

Gaara looks up at him, unaffected by his words, and raises his hand in the direction of Team Eight, "Losers..can't tell me what to do.."

Kankurō grabs Gaara by the strap holding his gourd and pulls him forward, "Alright that's enough! Sometimes you have to listen to what your big brother says!"

"It's to bad I don't think of you as my big brother..if you get in the way, I'll kill you," Gaara states, holding his hand up once more.

"Wait! Just hold on Gaara! You don't have to treat us as if we're the enemy. Do it as a favor for your big sister..please?" Temari asks nervously.

Gaara moves his hand so it's facing Kankurō, the older boy flinches, Gaara stares at him for a moment before his hand moves back to its earlier position.

Team Eight completely freeze, Hinata couldn't move..she didn't dare breathe, the only thing she could hear was the sound of her own heart..and she was sure Kiba and Shino weren't faring well either.

Sand grows and starts coming together in Gaara's hand, "GAARA!" Temari yells.

Gaara's hand closes in a fist, he turns and stares at Temari, "Alright..this time," he opens his fist revealing a new cork. He plugs his gourd and turns and he begins walking away, not waiting for his teammates.

Temari let's out a sigh of relief as Kankurō glares in the direction of Gaara, _'Yeah...that's why I hate brats.'_

Team Eight hunch over, still hidden behind the bushes, breathing heavily in relief, Akamaru continues to tremble inside Kiba's jacket and whimpers.

"Yeah, that's why you were so freaked out..I just wish you told us sooner," Kiba mutters.

The three Genin get up on shaky feet and Hinata activates her Byakugan, "At the rate they are going, they'll arrive in less than an hour," Hinata states, her Byakugan focusing on the Sand Team travelled quickly through the Forest.

"What should we do? I don't even want to see them again," Kiba mutters.

"Take a detour and avoid Gaara's team," Hinata states, "It hasn't been that long since the test began and the three will arrive at the Tower before the test reaches two hours...all we have to do is bide our time and avoid everything. I'll keep my Byakugan activated."

"How much time do you think it will take us to get to the Tower?" Shino asks.

"Around six hours...while I'd rather arrive later than face the Sand Team..I don't want to stay out here any longer either," Hinata says.

"I agree," Kiba says, "The shorter our time is out here the better for all of us."

The three take off, following Hinata's lead.

**_(Line Break)_**

Asuma, Kakashi, and Kurenai all sit down in one of the empty rooms at the academy, the same place they stayed during the written part as well.

"How do you think they are doing? Having to deal with Ibiki and then Anko...sending them out into the forty fourth training ground..." Asuma says.

Kakashi shrugs, not looking up from his book, "They'll survive," he says, "The only team that concerns me right now is that Sand Team with the red haired boy on it...his eyes were just evil."

Asuma nods, "I agree..and those Sound ninja didn't look to friendly either."

"I hope our teams don't face off against them in the Forest," Kurenai murmurs.

"So do I! But if they do I'm sure my youthful team will overcome the challenge!" Gai states, appearing behind the couch Kurenai was seated on, making the raven haired woman jump.

"Gai? Where'd you come from?" Asuma asks.

"I came here to see my rival of course! You and Kurenai look ever youthful I see!" Gai says, "Kakashi my rival! I met your team yesterday."

Kakashi looks up from his book, "Oh really?"

"I sure did! For some reason they seemed scared of me!" Gai says, "My Lee got in a tussle with Sasuke, almost using a forbidden move."

Kakashi chuckles, "I'm sure that encounter gave Sasuke a clear picture of the skill he'll see among their other opponents."

"I also heard...one of the teams have already arrived at the Tower," Gai says in a more serious tone. The three Jounin look up at him, even Kakashi looked shocked, "That Sand Team you mentioned...arrived at the Tower in one hour and thirty-seven minutes...not a scratch on them."

Kurenai looks up at him, "That's impossible! I doubt Anko could even do that!"

"We're approaching the sixth hour and no one else has been seen yet...that team broke the the record of five hours," Gai adds.

Asumi frowns, "Nothing about that team sounds good...what are they?"

"Not they, it's who," Gai says, "That red haired boy...they're worried about him."

Kakashi sighs, "No good could come from that look in his eyes."

Kurenai looks down at her lap, "I sincerely hope none of our teams come across them."

**_(Line Break)_**

At seven hours and thirty-two minutes Team Eight is the second team to arrive at the Tower.

Hinata looks around, "It's completely deserted."

Kiba crouches down as he pets Akamaru comfortingly, "Calm down boy," the dog was trembling as badly as he was earlier in the clearing.

"Another team arrived," Kankurō says as he enters the room, followed by Temari, Gaara walked ahead of them.

"A Rookie Team from the Leaf too...I'm surprised they made it here so quickly," Temari states.

Gaara looks over at the three Leaf Genin, Team Eight flinches, the red head can see the fear in their eyes before he looks forward and leaves the room, Temari and Kankurō following.

_'I don't know what the Sand Village squirt is..but whatever he is, is bad news,' _Kiba thinks.

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: So let's say Anko watched the tape sometime after the Sand Team arrived..not after Team Eight did. It's canon that Gaara's team arrived in an hour and a half or so...but Team Eight over twelve hours. I shortened the time because it makes more sense.**

**Also I hope you don't mind that I didn't go into the narrative of the other teams..I didn't want to make the Forest of Death arc longer than it should be, and since the story is Hinata-Centric, it makes sense that it would only follow Team Eight's experience.**

**To CrazyChimera: I had the same reaction when I first saw that scene..and then Team Eight became my favorite rookie team when I realized how awesome they were lol. I hope you enjoy this chapter..there wasn't really much I could change up since the scene with Gaara seemed really limited. And thank you so much for all the reviews! **

**To LB Cat: Thank you for the review! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**A special thank you to Kiyara Sand and NaruhinaFan13149 for favoriting _Altered_! I hope you both enjoy this chapter!**

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts by reviewing and don't forget to Favorite and Follow!**

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Eighteen**

Team Eight sat in one of the rooms, it was quiet and tense, _'The final day in the Forest of the Death, I hope our friends make into the tower in time, there's only a few hours left and both Neji's team and Team Ten has arrived,' _Hinata thinks.

"That red head...there is something wrong with him," Kiba murmurs, Shino and Hinata glance at each other before looking to the Inuzuka, "Did you see anything with your Byakugan?" Kiba asks as he looks up at Hinata.

Hinata pauses, a thoughtful expression on her face, _'Should I tell them my theory? I don't know how they will take it. It will probably worsen things for us and the others who pass the test, Gaara is already dangerous enough and rumors about him might anger him,' _the Hyuuga thinks, "...no."

Shino and Kiba glance at each other, they've both known Hinata for a long time, and can tell that she's holding back information, "Alright then, we won't push you," Shino says.

Hinata smiles weakly in response, "Right, Thank you Kiba-Kun, Shino-Kun."

They hear footsteps approaching and look up as Team Ten and Team Gai enter the room, "Hinata," Neji says, he nods to her teammates in greeting.

"Neji-Nii-San! I haven't gotten a chance to ask you what happened in the Forest," Hinata says, "Anything interesting?"

Neji's eyes narrow in remembrance of the Sound Team fighting against Lee and Team Seven, Team Ten joining the fight, _'I need to keep an eye on that Uchiha, he's stronger than I originally thought,' _he thinks, "Nothing really, we were able to find a Scroll and finish, though not without obstacles."

Hinata nods, "That's good," she says, _'Neji-Nii-San is lying, but I'm sure it's for a good reason.'_

Hinata turns to Team Ten but the three look away, "I guess all nine of us had some trouble in the Forest then."

Neji raises a brow, "You had trouble?"

Hinata glances at Kiba and Shino, "Yeah, got a Scroll right away and was the second team to arrive at the Tower. Though we ran into something unsettling on the way."

"That's vague," Tenten murmurs, "Who was the first Team?"

"The Sand Team," Kiba says, "The one with the red head on it."

Neji's eyes narrow at hearing the mention of the sand ninja, _'I need to keep an eye on him too, There is something not right about him.'_

Shikamaru glances at his teammates then back to Hinata, _'That Sand Team must be really unsettling if they even set Team Eight on edge,' _the way Shino and Kiba tensed when Hinata mentioned the 'unsettling situation' and the way Hinata and Shino seemed to flinch when Kiba mentioned Gaara told the Nara all he needed to know, _'Guess this'll be an even bigger than drag than I thought.'_

Ino makes her way over to Hinata and sits down next to the bluenette and hugs the Hyuuga, "You have no idea how relieved I am to see you here!"

"We really feel the love too Ino," Kiba says sarcastically, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Ino shrugs with a smirk, "I guess it's good to see you two as well, since that'd be the only way Hinata would be able to pass."

Kiba rolls his eyes as Shino adjusts his glasses, _'At least she remembered I was here.'_

The next few hours the three teams stayed in the room and talked, and weren't surprised when a Chunin arrived and escorted them to an arena where the other teams were already at...including Team Seven.

Hinata's eyes widened slightly seeing the state all three of them were in, _'What did they run into? Whatever happened I'm glad they came out alive.'_

The seven remaining teams all lined up, this included the Rookie Nine, Team Gai, The Sand Team, Kabuto's Team, and the Sound Team.

Seven Jounin stood in the front, the Hokage standing in front of them, with four more ninja on either side of him.

"First of all congratulations on finishing the second exam," Anko states.

"I'm so hungry," Choji murmurs.

Shikamaru sighs, "There are so many left, what a drag."

"I see Sasuke and his team passed!" Ino says with a smile as she looks over at the Uchiha.

"Of course he did, after all the trouble we went through to protect them I'd be mad if they didn't," Shikamaru states.

Gai smiles, "Looks like your team didn't do to bad Kakashi, they must've gotten really lucky. Of course with my team around your team is doomed to failure, after all what matters on the next test is ability and we have you far out classed. Well I guess a part of growing up is dealing with heart break..right Kakashi?" He asks turning to his rival.

Kakashi glances at him, "Hm? Did you say something?"

_'So that's Gai-Sensei's rival?' _Tenten thinks.

_'Watch me Gai-Sensei! I will _never _lose again!' _Lee thinks as he clenches his fist.

_'As expected, all the best are here,' _Neji thinks.

"Looks like all the Rookie's are here too," Sakura says.

"Oh yeah! Looks like no one got left out this time," Naruto says as he looks at the other two teams.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Sasuke mutters as he reaches up to grab his shoulder.

_'It's hard to believe there are so many left after the second exam,' _Hiruzen thinks, _'So that's why they fought so hard to recommend them.'_

"Alright now pay attention! Lord Hokage is going to explain the third exam to you! So listen up maggots! Lord Hokage there all yours," Anko says.

The Third Hokage steps forward and faces the seven Genin teams before him, "Before I explain the third exam to you, I want to explain something to you about the test itself, so listen closely," he begins, "I'm going to tell you the true purpose of these exams."

_'The true purpose?' _Hinata thinks.

"Why do you suppose our country holds these exams in conjunction with our allies?" Hiruzen asks, "To raise the ability levels of Shinobi and increase friendship between allied nations. To be sure it's important that you know the true meaning, the Exams are so to speak...they are representation between the battle of allied nations."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Tenten asks.

"If you look at the history of the nations we are currently allied with, they used to be neighboring countries who were constantly at war with each other for power. In order to avoid destroying each other's military power meaninglessly, those nations picked champions to do battle on behalf of their countries in a mutually selected location. That was how the Chunin selection Exams originally began," Hiruzen states.

"Well..that's great but why do we have to do these exams then? It's not like we're actually picking Chunin to go fight," Naruto says.

"Well actually, there is no question that part of the point of these exams is to select Shinobi worthy to become Chunin. That's just not the whole story. These exams are also a way for Shinobi to carry the pride of their nations on their backs and fight against other ninja for their very lives," Hiruzen says, "Many leaders and people of prominence from various countries are invited to watch the Chunin Exams as guests, and possibly to seek Shinobi to work for them. This Exam could determine the course of your ninja work from here on out, and more importantly those rulers will watch your battles and take note of the strengths that each ninja and each nation is developing. If there is a gap in power between the countries, the strong nations inundated with job requests for their ninja, and conversely, the requests for countries deemed weak delcine. Therefore, the stronger our nation is the better our position when it comes to negotiating with other countries so it's important to show how much military strength we have."

"Ok but even so, why is it necessary for us to risk our lives?" Kiba asks.

"The country's strength is the village's strength, and the village's strength is the Shinobi's strength. And the true strength of the Shinobi is only reached when they are pushed to their limits such as in a life or death battle. This exam is a chance for each nation to display the strength of their Shinobi and hence the strength of the nation. It's because this is an exam where your life is on the line that it has meaning, and it's for this very reason and for the strength of the nation that your fore runners fought in this exam. It's truly a dream worth striving for."

"But then why did you use the expression friendship before?" Tenten asks.

"But you've only remembered half of what I said, you also mustn't have the wrong idea of the Exams meaning," Hiruzen says, "This is a custom in which balance is preserved by fighting and dying, in the world of the Shinobi that is friendship. The third exam is a fight for life with the pride of your village and your own dreams at stake."

"Any test is fine, just tell me what the details of the exam are already..I can handle anything you throw at me," Gaara says.

"Hm, alright then, now listen closely as I tell you exactly what you're going to be doing on the third exam," Hiruzen states.

A Jounin appears before the Hokage before he can speak, bowing respectfully as he begins speaking instead, "Lord Hokage please allow me, Hayate Gekko, the protector of the third exam to speak first," he says.

"Very well then," Hiruzen says.

The Jounin stands, back facing the Genin, "It's nice to meet you all," he says before coughing, "There is something that I'd like all of you," He coughs again, "Do to before the third exam."

The Jounin goes into a coughing fit as the Genin look at him, some in worry and others in confusion.

"We have to have a preliminary exam before we continue on to the real one," Hayate states.

"A preliminary exam!" Kiba says incredulously.

"Excuse me Sensei, I'm confused as to why we need a preliminary exam in the first place," Sakura says.

"Ugh, well you see, the first two exams might've been to easy. The fact is we never expected this many Genin to still be here. According to the rules of the Exams a preliminary round can be held at any stage in order to reduce the number of candidates remaining," the Jounin explains.

"But..is that fair!"

"It's just at this stage we need to speed things up, as Lord Hokage said we have a lot of people watching and we can't afford to waste their time, they've come to see only the best, so if there are any of you who feel like your not in top physical condition, nows your chance to," he goes into another coughing fit and contradicts his words, "..sorry about that, as I was saying, any of you who don't feel up to this. Nows your time to bow out. The preliminaries will be starting immediately."

"You mean right now?!"

"Cmon! We just finished barely surviving the last exam round, don't we deserve a break?"

"Man what a drag," Shikamaru says.

"Oh yeah, the winners will be determined by one on one combat, sudden death. So like I said, if there's anyone who doesn't feel up to it nows your time to raise your hand," Hayate says.

_'Does he really think anyone's gonna quit?' _Sasuke thinks, before wincing in pain and grabbing his shoulder.

Sakura whispers her teammates name as Naruto looks back in confusion.

"Sasuke, listen to me, you have got to quit! You've been like this since you've tangled with Orochimaru. It's that..mark he put on you..isn't it?" Sakura asks, remembering the curse mark appearing and then covering his face, "Please! Sasuke quit now..before, I don't know. I'm scared."

"It's just as I feared," Hiruzen says.

"What do we do with him?" Ibiki asks.

"We hand him over to Black Ops and keep him locked up, we have to keep that seal under control," Anko says.

"And you really think he's gonna go without a fight?" Kakashi asks, "You really think? He's of the Uchiha Clan remember?"

"I don't care what he is! With that curse mark he's a danger to all of us!" Anko yells, "When he gets stronger the mark gets stronger to! It's feeding off his chakra! It's a forbidden Jutsu that devours the one it's placed on!"

Anko grips her own shoulder, "It's incredible the kids still standing..by now..he should be dead," Anko turns to Hiruzen, "Lord Hokage!"

"C'mon! You know as well as me you can't be fighting in this condition!" Sakura says.

"Shut up Sakura," Sasuke hisses.

"I'm not blind you now! I can see the pain your suffering through!" Sakura says.

"Stop it," Sasuke says.

"I can't help it, I'm gonna tell them about that mark, then maybe you'll-" Sakura is cut off by Kabuto raising his hand.

"Ok, you got me. I'm out," Kabuto states.

"Ugh, Kabuto Yakushi of the Leaf Village right? You can go on and step back then," Hayate says.

"What the heck are you doing Kabuto!" Naruto yells.

"Oh Naruto, I'm sorry but my body can't take the beating," Kabuto says, "The fact is, since orientation and the fight with the Sound nin, I can't hear anything with my left ear. And now to put my life on the line and to fight again, right away without a break? I can't do it."

"Seems to me I've seen that one before, this isn't the first time he's dropped out of battle. What game is he playing?" Hiruzen asks.

"Anko?" Ibiki asks.

"Oh right, it says here that he's failed six times before," Anko says.

"What of his background?"

"His time at the academy wasn't what you would call impressive, average grades...took him three tries before he passed the graduation exam, as far as the missions he's carried out since then, there's been two C-ranks and fourteen D-ranks," Anko says, "However, there is something before his time in the academy, do you remember the child? The one was found after the battle of Kikyo pass? The only survivor?"

"I remember the story, it was said a small boy was found among the enemy dead on the battlefield. He was barely alive and was brought back by a Jounin from the medical unit. Your telling me this is that boy?" Hiruzen asks.

"Kabuto what do you think your doing? Don't you remember Orochimaru's orders?" Kabuto's teammate asks.

"I'm leaving all that to you. What's the problem? For someone with your abilities, it should be no trouble. This is a chance to prove yourself Yoroi, after all you always wanted to take my place haven't you? Go for it," Kabuto states.

"You May be Orochimaru's Favorite, but be careful you don't push it to far," Yoroi says.

Kabuto waves with a cheerful smile to the rookies before leaving, _'Sorry Naruto, sorry Sasuke, wish I could stick around and play a little longer. But if I do my old self might stir up. Can't have that, it might blow my cover. I wouldn't be much of a spy. Besides you don't need me when your watching do you Lord Orochimaru? Just have to save my fun for later Sasuke, and you too Naruto,' _he thinks as he leaves.

"Now then," Hayate says with a cough.

_'I can't let this go on, I have to tell them!' _Sakura tries to raise her hand but Sasuke slaps it down.

"Don't you dare think about telling them about this mark," Sasuke says.

"What are you trying to prove? Am I supposed to just stand by and watch you tear yourself apart? I can't bear to watch it!" Sakura says.

"Then don't watch and stay out it! This has nothing to do with you! I told you before, what I am is an avenger, for me this is something I have to do for myself. Whether I become a Chunin or not means nothing to me. Am I as strong as I can be? I want to know the answer to that question and I need to fight the strongest to know," Sasuke states, "...and the best of the best are all here, this is the path I choose. Not you or anyone can change that."

"Man you don't know when to quit! No need to bite off her head-!"

"Naruto, your one of the ones I want to fight," Sasuke says, shocking the blond to silence.

"I am still concerned with what Orochimaru said, allow the boy to continue the exam and we'll see what happens," Hiruzen says, "However at the first sign of the curse mark growing or his power getting out of control you'll stop it."

"Right," Ibiki says.

"But!...as you wish," Anko says, conceding to the Hokage's request.

"Alright then we will now begin the preliminary round, this round consists of one on one individual combat at all full battle intensity. This is not an exercise. There are twenty of you remaining, so that means only ten matches, the surviving candidates from these ten matches will advance to the third exam. As for rules there are none, you will fight until one dies or concedes defeat, or is unable to physically continue," Hayate says, "Of course those who are losing are urged to promptly except defeat to avoid fatal outcomes. Furthermore, as protector I'm given a certain amount of leeway of judging the matches. I might occasionally intervene if the match seems hopeless to save as many lives as possible. Now it's time to reveal what fate has been chosen for you."

A panel opens up after Anko motions for it to be done.

"The names of each opponents are completely random. Before each match these names will appear on the panel behind me. As there is nothing else to say, the first two names will appear in a moment."

The twenty candidates left look at the panel expectantly, wondering who the first match would be.

The panels flips through different names before finally landing on two.

"Hinata Hyuuga vs Yoroi Akado," Hayate announces, "The two chosen please come forward."

**_To be continued.._**

**AN: The preliminary rounds! We made it! As for the battles, some won't be canon. Me and my Beta decided on these battles so I hope y'all enjoy them the next few chapters!**

**To cosmicblader12: Thank you so much for following, favoriting, and reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to enjoy _Altered_!**

**To Guest: Yay! I'm glad you love the story! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**A special thank you to Crimson G for following _Altered_ and another special thank you to NyanCos for favoriting and following _Altered_ as well! I hope you both continue to enjoy _Altered_!**

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts by reviewing and to Favorite and Follow!**

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Hinata Hyuuga vs Yoroi Akado," Hayate announces, "The two chosen please come forward."

Hinata steps forward as well as a Genin from Kabuto's team wearing a mask and glasses covering his face_._

"You have been chosen for the first match, Hinata Hyuuga and Yoroi Akado," Hayate says, "Are there any objections?"

"No," Hinata answers and Yoroi says the same.

_'Good luck Hinata,' _Kiba thinks, Shino mirroring his thoughts.

"Alright then, let's begin the match," Hayate says, "All other genin than the two opposing candidates, clear the area and move up to the upper level."

Kurenai stops next to Hinata and places a hand on her shoulder, "You can do it Hinata," Kurenai says before heading up to the balcony, Kiba and Shino following her.

Soon it's only Hinata, Yoroi, and Hayate standing in the arena. The two Genin facing each other.

"Everyone ready?" Hayate asks.

"Oh I'm ready," Yoroi says, he makes a hand sign and focuses his chakra to one hand, his other reaching behind him to his weapons pouch.

Hinata nods, activating her Byakugan and slipping into her Gentle Fist stance.

"Begin!"

Yoroi throws five shuriken as soon as Hayate finishes, aiming at the Hyuuga across from him.

Hinata avoids the shuriken and runs forward, her Byakugan giving her a fierce expression as she thrusts a palm at Yoroi's shoulder.

Yoroi side steps the attack and tries to grab her arm, the hand glowing with chakra, Hinata's eyes widen, _'That must be some sort of Jutsu, whether it is or not just like my own hands I can't let his touch me,' _the Hyuuga thinks as she jumps backwards, putting place between the two.

She reaches behind her into her own weapons pouch and pulls out some shuriken, as Yoroi pulls a kunai out. Hinata narrows her eyes and throws them at the Leaf nin.

Yoroi deflects her weapons and Hinata uses this to her advantage and appears behind him, and thrusts her palm into his back, Yoroi stumbles forward as he coughs harshly, but turns and attempts to grab her with a chakra covered hand but Hinata is already gone.

She appears behind him and swipes his legs from beneath him, Yoroi falls to the ground and Hinata stands up quickly and attempts to knock him out with a kick but Yoroi is already up and he is able to grab her arm before she can get out a range.

Hinata's eyes widen and she cries out in pain as Yoroi sucks the chakra from her body, _'I shouldn't have let him touch me,' _she thinks, her earlier thoughts coming true.

Hinata fights through pain and kicks Yoroi in the stomach, making him stumble back and then appears in front of him and thrusts a palm into his face with all her strength and knocks him out, as well as breaking his nose.

"The winner is Hyuuga Hinata," Hayate announces.

Medical staff come in and pick Yoroi up onto a stretcher and take him away, as Hinata grabs her arm and heads up to the stands where her team waited for her.

"That was a quick match," Kurenai says, "Good job."

Hinata smiles weakly, "I should've been more alert, he was able to suck the chakra out of my body with his Jutsu. I knew covering his hand with his chakra was a bad sign, but I was still caught off guard."

"That was a good match though!" Kiba says, "All that matters is you won."

"The next two opponents will now be chosen," Hayate announces.

Team Eight focuses on the panel as it flips through the names left and finally lands on two.

"Shino Aburame vs Zaku Abumi."

The two chosen walk down to the arena and stand across from each other.

Shino analyzes his opponent, noting Zaku's broken arm, _'I wonder what happened to him...'_

"Are the two candidates ready?"

Shino and Zaku both nod, "Then begin!"

Zaku runs forward and uses his one good arm, using a powerful Jutsu with blasts Shino aside.

Zaku grins, "Have you had enough yet?" But his eyes widen in shock and disbelief when his opponent stands up and faces him.

"W-What!" Zaku grits his teeth in anger, before his eyes widen in horror seeing bugs crawl out of Shino's face, _'Bugs are crawling out of him as if he's a hive!'_

"Good job, you've successfully creeped everyone out," Zaku says with a smirk, "What happens next?"

Zaku gasps and turns, an army of beetles was crawling towards him from behind, "There a rare species of parasitic beetles that attack their prey in a swarm eating its chakra, an army this size can suck you dry in a minute. Your only intelligent option is to forfeit the match, as you can't fight two opponents at once. If you use your good arm to confront me, my friends will swarm you from behind. Conversely if you use your good arm to keep them at bay then you have me at your blind side," Shino says, "Either way your defeat will be certain, and unpleasant. It's always best to have an ace in the hole."

Zaku grits his teeth and glares down at the ground, his form trembling as he remembers what happened to him in the Forest, _'That's it! That's never gonna happen again!'_ He lets out a yell as he pulls his arm from the sling, "Now you've done it! Now you've made me mad!" Zaku points his broken arm in the direction of the bugs, opening his fist, "Like you said yourself! Always have an ace in the hole. Right!"

Shino's hands, having formed a sign, drop to his side as he watches his opponent carefully.

"What the! I thought his right arm was shot!" Kiba says in surprise.

Zaku let's out another roar but instead of using his Jutsu his chakra seems to expel from the middle of his arms, "W-Whats wrong with my arms!" He looks down at his hands and sees Shino's beetles plugging the wind canons in his hands.

Zaku glances behind him at Shino when the other Genin appears behind him, "When I was distracting you with my helpful advice, I sent some of my friends to plug up those bothersome wind holes in your hands, both hands just to be sure. While one ace is good, two aces is better."

Zaku tries to attack but Shino knocks him to the ground easily.

Hayate kneels down and looks at Zaku's injuries from the beetles, "I see that this ones had it..Shino Aburame wins."

Shino nods and walks up to the balcony to join his team once more.

They put Zaku on to a stretch and took him out of the arena.

"Congratulations Shino!" Hinata says.

"Good job," Kiba says with a grin.

"I just want to see you do the same," Shino responds to Kiba who grits his teeth.

The next match up happened to be Sasuke Uchiha vs Misumi from Kabuto's team.

"Sasuke, don't use your Sharingan. If that curse mark activated, I'll have to stop the match before it continues," Kakashi says.

Sasuke grits his teeth but says nothing as he walks down to the arena and takes his place across from the other Genin.

The match begins and Misumi charges towards Sasuke, "First move, a sure fire victory!" He yells as he attempts to hit the Uchiha but Sasuke holds his arm back, their arms shaking as they try to overpower the other.

Misumi's eyes narrow as one of his arm stretches around Sasuke's, his leg wraps around him, and his other arm wraps around Sasuke's neck.

"I dislocate everyone of my joints and soften my body, and with my chakra I can control it perfectly," Misumi explains.

Sasuke glares over his shoulder at him, "That's just wrong."

"The more you struggle, the tighter I squeeze," Misumi states, "Forfeit now."

Sasuke suddenly transforms into a log, and the Genin drops it, but it's to late as Sasuke appears and kicks him in the gut, and then launches him into the air, and appears above him and sends him down with another kick, "Lions Barrage!" He yells, the other Genin is knocked out and Sasuke's declared the winner.

Kakashi takes Sasuke out of the arena, and the Sound Jounin follows them after a few minutes.

The next match is soon announced, "Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka..please step forward."

The match between Ino and Sakura is a fight between the two rivals, and ends in a tie with both Kunoichi knocked out. Halfway through the battle Kakashi had returned but Sasuke was no longer with him, as the Jounin took Sasuke to a room at the hospital to rest.

Hinata looks at the two kunoichi, _'That was quite a boring battle, I don't hold anything against the two but that seemed to be a battle to get over the grudges they have against each other. They were both equally matched.'_

"For the fifth match, Tenten and Temari," Hayate announces.

The battle is over soon enough, with Temari completely defeating Tenten.

_'Her wind Jutsu is powerful,' _Hinata thinks, _'Tenten may be a weapons mistress but she didn't stand much of a chance when the Sand Ninja can blow back all of her weapons at her.'_

The next battle is Shikamaru against the female Sound Ninja.

The battle seems to be on the girls side with Shikamaru having taken damage from her sound attacks, but Shikamaru wins in the end as he outwits the other ninja.

The next battle is announced, "Kiba Inuzuka vs Naruto Uzumaki."

The two stand across from each other, "I've been waiting for this! Sorry Kiba, don't take it personally if I blow you away!" Naruto states.

"Hey! That's what I was going to say! Only not so politely," Kiba says with a grin as he crouches on the ground and places Akamaru on the ground next to him.

"Why are you bringing the puppy?! He's just going to get in the way!" Naruto shouts.

"Ha! I never enter a battle without Akamaru," Kiba says, Akamaru barks in agreement.

"Come on! Isn't that against the rules or something?!" Naruto yells.

"No, like the bugs for the Aburame, he's a tool that can be used. It is within the rules," Hayate says.

"Ugh..whatever! I do my best work with a handicap!" Naruto states.

"We'll see about that, Akamaru! Stay right here and leave all this to me! I got it," Kiba says with a grin as he stands and faces Naruto, Akamaru growls but doesn't move.

"C'mon Naruto! You can beat him!" Sakura shouts.

_'The moment has finally arrived,' _Shino thinks.

_'You can do this Kiba, sorry Naruto. Your my friend too but Kiba is my teammate and Team Eight will make it to the finals together!' _Hinata thinks.

_'Sorry Kakashi, but Kiba's got this one,' _Kurenai thinks.

_'This should be the case if Naruto is anything like he was back in the academy. But I can't underestimate him now..Naruto is an unpredictable ninja,' _Kiba thinks as he looks over Naruto.

"Look I feel sorry for you so I'll finish you off in one shot," Kiba states.

"Yeah? Is that right? Your dumber than you look if you think you can beat me!" Naruto says.

"You sure talk tough for such a little squirt," Akamaru barks in agreement to Kiba's words.

"When your ready, you may begin," Hayate says.

Kiba crouches down as he concentrates his chakra, _'Ninja Art Of Beast Mimicry: All Fours Jutsu,' _Kiba thinks as he crouches on his hands and feet, chakra surrounds him and his nails sharpen and his features become more beast like, "Here I come!" The Inuzuka charges and knocks Naruto down.

The Kiba stands with a smirk as looks back to Hayate, "This guys gonna be out for awhile, you can call the match."

"Thought so," Shikamaru mutters, _'I knew Kiba would try and end it quickly..but I don't think Naruto will go down so easily either.'_

"Told you so," Kurenai says, _'I know those two are friends but Kiba won't hold back because of that.'_

"What was that! I blinked and it was over, that kids pitiful," Kankuro says looking at Naruto's fallen figure.

_'Naruto, I knew Kiba would try and end it quickly but I didn't expect him to use so much power...but then again it's always all or nothing with those two,' _Hinata thinks.

Kiba starts walking away as Naruto's hand twitches and he gets up on his knees, "What! No way," Kiba says looking at Naruto in shock.

Naruto gets up on his feet and looks up at Kiba, "Dont ever underestimate me!"

"Yeah Naruto!" Sakura yells.

Hinata smiles, _'I knew it, this battle will be interesting.'_

"Ha! I just wanted to see what you got!" Naruto says, "Frankly you hit like an old lady!"

Kiba grits his teeth and growls.

"You have a better chance of winning if you send that puppy into fight for you!" Naruto taunts.

"Your gonna regret that," Kiba says, "C'mon Akamaru!"

Kiba and Akamaru run forward as Kiba pulls out smoke bombs and throws them, surprising Naruto as the two then start to hit Naruto from all directions.

Naruto runs out of the smoke but Akamaru runs towards him and bites Naruto, knocking him back into the smoke.

The smoke clears and reveals Akamaru sitting next to an unconscious Naruto.

"Yeah Akamaru! We won this fight!" Kiba yells, Akamaru runs forward and everyone is shocked when Akamaru bites Kiba's arm, "What are you doing?!" Kiba asks in shock.

"Surprise! Got you!" Akamaru transforms into Naruto, who's still biting Kiba's arm.

"Get off!" Kiba yells and knocks back Naruto, who coughs and spits.

"You smell worse than the dog!"

Kiba notices a clone holding Akamaru and growls, "Alright."

"What do ya know? You got a little stronger I see, but nearly strong enough. Now I'm getting serious!" Kiba says.

"Bring it on!" Naruto yells.

Kiba stands up straight, and takes a deep breath and releases it, closing his eyes before looking up with a smirk. He places his hand in his weapons pouch, "Naruto, if I were you..I'd let Akamaru go."

He pulls his hand out and throws a pill into Akamaru's mouth who bites down on it. Kiba eats his own as well.

Naruto's Clone looks down at the dog confused and his eyes widen in shock when Akamaru's fur turns a dark red and the ninja dog kicks the clone and jumps to Kiba's side as the clone disperses.

"What did you just feed him! And why's his fur all red?!" Naruto asks.

"Looks like he's going in for the kill already," Shino says, Hinata and Kurenai nod, the match having their full attention.

"Let's go Akamaru!" Kiba yells as he crouches down and makes the same handsign as before, "Beast Minicry!"

The smoke disperses revealing two Kiba's, one crouches on top of the other, "Man Beast Clones!"

"He's got a crazy look in his eyes all of a sudden! Wait no fair he took something! He ought to be disqualified!"

"Food pills, there just another tool and they are allowed," Hayate says before coughing.

"Ahh! Your no help at all!" Naruto yells.

"Let's finish this! All Fours Jutsu!" The two chars and Naruto jumps back as a dust cloud forms where the two clones hit the ground,

Naruto barely dodges the attacks as the two Kiba's attempt to hit him.

_'They got me off balance! Can't counter attack! All I can do is try to keep on my feet! And dodge them!' _Naruto thinks before jumping into the air.

"Now I got ya!" One Kiba says as the two Kiba's run towards Naruto who is mid air, "Man Beast Ultimate Taijutsu! Fang Over Fang!" The two spinning Kiba's knock back Naruto with a powerful Jutsu.

Naruto hits the ground, his hand twitching, "I will...I will be Hokage! I will!"

"How ya gonna do that? By lying on your face?" Kiba taunts, "I got news for ya! I'm gonna be Hokage!"

Naruto shakes as Kiba laughs at him, "Come on! Do you really think a weakling like you can be Hokage? You must be weak in the head!"

Hinata frowns slightly, _'Kiba's getting really into the battle, it doesn't matter whether Naruto's his friend or not at this point. He wants to win.'_

Naruto slowly gets back on his feet, struggling as he looks down at the ground, "Sorry but..you can forget about being Hokage..because I'm the top dog around here!"

The battle continues as the Kiba's use Fang Over Fang again, knocking Naruto to the ground again.

Naruto is still up and this time they throw smoke bombs and use Fang Over Fang again.

The smoke clears and Naruto wipes at his face and stands up.

Throwing more smoke bombs they attack again using Fang Over Fang, _'Gotta figure out a counter attack..problem is which one is really Kiba? And how do I tell them apart?'_

Amidst the smoke Naruto transforms into a Kiba Clone again an when it clears three Kiba's are facing each other.

"I see you've gotten better at Transformation Jutsu, but I can still tell you apart! I can smell ya kid!" Kiba says as he knocks out the clone he thinks is Naruto.

"Games over!" The clone transforms into a knocked out Akamaru, "Huh?!"

_'No way! It's impossible!' _Kiba turns to the other, "So it's you! Your messing with me!" Kiba turns and punches the other clone who transforms into Akamaru.

The Akamaru behind him transforms into Naruto and attacks Kiba from behind, the Inuzuka landing beside an unconscious Akamaru.

"You little squirt," Kiba growls.

"A smart Shinobi knows how to use his Jutsu! Otherwise it'll come back and bite him on the butt. Dummy," Naruto says.

Kiba growls as he bites his hand, _'Gotta keep calm. I still have the advantage,' _Kiba thinks as he pulls out several shuriken in both hands, _'If I keep my head, I can win this match.'_

Naruto grins, "Hmph, so are you finally getting serious Kiba? Good! That means it's time to unveil something special I've been saving! My super secret killer move!" He yells as he makes a hand sign.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Kiba says, "Ha! Super Secret Killer Move! It's a bluff!"

"Yeah? Come here and find out!" Naruto taunts.

_'Stay calm, stay in the game,' _Kiba thinks before charging, _'Beast Mimicry! All Fours Jutsu!' _Kiba knocks Naruto back, "Well What are you waiting for?" He knocks Naruto to the ground again.

Naruto gets up again, "He's coming so fast I don't have the time to build up my chakra!"

Naruto is knocked back by another hit from Kiba, the Inuzuka was to fast for him.

Kiba attacks from above and Naruto catches this attack and throws him back. Kiba's feet skid against the ground as he charges again, knocking Naruto back.

He hits the blond again and knocks him to the ground once more.

"See Naruto! You never had a chance!" Kiba taunts.

Naruto slowly gets on his feet, his back facing Kiba, "I absolutely..will not...lose!" He turns and faces Kiba, "Guess your out of luck!"

_'I just need to find his weak spot,' _Naruto thinks, "Is that all ya got? Are ya tired??"

Kiba growls, _'He's on his last leg, this next one outta to do it.'_

"Ready for my brand new technique!" Naruto yells as he makes a hand sign.

"Got for it!" Kiba yells, running passed Naruto before charging at him from behind.

Kiba crouches down as he prepared to attack when Naruto farts in his face.

Kiba backs up and covers his face yelling out in disgust, "Ugh! Nasty!" Kiba coughs.

Naruto grins, "I wish I had planned that! But now is the time to unleash my new technique! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Naruto creates multiple clones and they charge at him, attacking him and sending him in the air, and three kick, punch and knock him to the ground, "Uzumaki Barrage!" Naruto knocks him to the ground and remains standing, breathing deeply.

His clones disperse and Naruto is announced the winner after Hayate confirms Kiba can't get up.

"Yes Naruto! That's my teammate! Way to go!" Sakura yells as Lee cheers on the hyperactive blond.

Hinata smiles, _'I shouldn't have underestimated Naruto,' _she thinks, Naruto runs up the stairs and walks passed him, "Naruto!"

Naruto stops and turns to her, Hinata passed him the salve, "It's a healing ointment, you forgot to take it remember?" Hinata asks.

"Oh yeah! Thanks Hinata!" Naruto grabs the ointment and returns his teammates.

Hinata turns to look at Kiba before turning to Naruto with a smile as he walks away.

The medics take Kiba and Akamaru out of the room on a stretcher, Hinata meets them down there, "Here's some healing ointment for you and Akamaru," Hinata says, handing the Inuzuka the container.

Kiba smiles at her, "Thanks Hinata. Sorry for disappointing you and Shino, I guess I'll be cheering you both on in the next round."

"We'll now pick the names for the next match," Hayate says as the panel begins flipping through different names.

"Neji Hyuuga vs Kankuro!"

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: Longest chapter yet! I didn't expect Kiba and Naruto's battle to take up half the chapter! I know I didn't really go into detail about some of the fights, mainly because they were canon. I really just wrote down Team Eight's fights as well as Sasuke's. I wanted to show the fight scenes because while two of them were canon the other two weren't.**

**I want to apologize for my horrible fight scenes, I've never been good at writing them and I'm sorry you had to read them lol.**

**To Hinatapaths: Thank you so much! I'm very happy you reviewed! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**I hope y'all enjoy this chapter and don't forget to leave your thoughts by reviewing and to Favorite and Follow! **

**Next chapter is the last of the battles!**

**I'll see y'all then! Bye!**


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Twenty**

Neji and Kankuro stood across from each other, Kankuro stood normally, facing Neji calmly.

Neji had his Byakugan activated as he fell into his stance.

The two opponents analyze each other, Kankuro's eyes narrow as he watches the Hyuuga, _'Is there any real point in me fighting this guy? He already see's the Crow, and his hidden weapons,' _Kankuro glances at his teammates in the balcony, _'Temari and Gaara won't like this for sure...but Baki should understand.'_"Is there any objections to this match?" Hayate asks.

Neji smirks, "No objections here."

"I forfeit," Kankuro says.

Neji glares at the Sand Shinobi, _'I don't blame him for forfeiting, he must realize I will be able to see through his attacks then.'_"Kankuro forfeits..Neji Hyuuga wins," Hayate announces.

Neji walks back to his team as Kankuro returns to his own.

"What was that Kankuro!" Temari snaps.

Kankuro rolls his eyes, "That guy has the Byakugan, he could see Crow, his hidden weapons, and would've beaten me had I fought him...this was my best choice."

Temari looks at Baki, the Sand Team's Sensei, who only nods in agreement with Kankuro's words.

The blond looks at Gaara who now looked at Neji, _'At least he isn't threatening Kankuro,' _ Temari thinks.

"Oh man, there's only three people left and all three of them are tough," Choji whines, "I don't think I can do this."

"C'mon Choji cheer up! If you win I'll take you to get some barbeque," Asuma says as he crouches next to his student.

"Really?" Choji asks.

Asuma nods, "Yep, and if it gets to bad we intercept the fight just like we did with Hinata."

_'Preying on his weak spot? Really?' _Ino thinks.

_'I didn't see you help intercept the fight,' _Shikamaru thinks.

Choji lets out a battle cry, "NOW YOU'RE TALKING! ALL YOU CAN EAT BRING IT ON!!"

Hinata looks over at them with a smile, _'Team Ten is just as energetic as ever,' _she thinks.

"Hey you!" Hinata looks over at the Sand Ninja approaching her, he was the one who just forfeited his match, "Your a Hyuuga right?"

"She is, didn't you hear Hayate announce her name?" Shino asks, turning to look at him.

Kankuro's eyes narrow, "Yeah, must've slipped my mind with all these battles going on. So what's Neji's story? I already know he would've beaten me but how strong is he really?" He asks.

Hinata looks him over with suspicion, _'That's a dig for information...is he trying to do recon?' _Hinata thinks, "Ask him yourself," she replies, "I'm sure he might answer a few of your questions."

Kankuro frowns slightly, "The purpose of coming over here was to ask you, I'm sure I can get a better idea of his strength directly from a family member."

Hinata catches Neji's eyes as her cousin raises a brow seeing the Sand Ninja standing with them. Hinata glances back to Kankuro, "I'm sorry but you'll get no information from me."

The Sand Ninja shivers slightly as Shino continues to stare at him as he returns to his teammates side.

"How did your little recon mission go?" Temari asks.

Kankuro rolls his eyes, "It didn't go anywhere, that little Hyuuga girl is tight lipped and her creepy teammate isn't any better."

Hayate coughs, catching everyone's attention, "Alright it's time to begin the next match."

"Alright! This time you'll be picked for sure! Are you ready Lee?" Gai asks.

"No!" Lee states looking away, "I've been waiting for so long that I do not care! I might as well go last."

Hinata looks over at Team Gai and Team Seven as she hears the conversation, _'Is Lee sulking?'_

The panel flips through the names as the four remaining Genin watch it, when it finally stops Gaara immediately transports to the middle of the arena using his sand, "Hurry up and get down here."

Choji let's out a roar, "Safe again!"

"Would you stop that!" Ino yells smacking his head.

"Do you want everyone to know your a chicken?" Shikamaru adds.

"Lee!" Sakura says as she looks over at her friend.

"It worked! I knew if I said I would be last I would be next!" Lee says victoriously as he kicks his leg into the air, "I simply applied the principle that says sometimes the surest way to hit something is to stop trying to hit it! It is a form of reverse psychology!"

"Right! That's my student!" Gai yells, "A word advice before you go!"

Lee and Gai lean forward, "You see that gourd on his back?" Gai asks, "Watch out there's something weird about it!"

"Right sir!" Lee yells as he starts to write down his advice.

"What are you writing that down for? It's not like you'll have time to read your notes during the match!"

"More good advice sir!"

"Rock and Roll!" Gai yells as he points to the stadium.

"Yeah!" Lee yells as he jumps over the balcony and lands in front of Gaara, "I knew sooner or later we will have to meet and I am glad it is sooner!" He says to the red head who doesn't respond,

"I don't know what kinda moves that guy with the weird hair cut has but he won't defeat Gaara. Not in this life time," Kankuro states.

_'He's fast on his feet alright but his kick isn't that great,' _Temari thinks.

Lee blinks as he catches the cork that's thrown at him, "Why are you in such a hurry?" He asks as he drops it, Gaara glares in response.

"Alright then! If you are both ready! Begin!" Hayate says.

Lee runs forward and attacks Gaara with his Leaf Hurricane, but Gaara's sand protects him and Lee looks up with a gasp as the sand towers above him, before he jumps back and lands.

_'That...that nightmare. Not again,' _Shino thinks, he glances to Hinata who watches the fight tensely.

She gripped the bars of the balcony so tightly her hands turned white, her eyes were solely focused on the two ninja in the arena below her_._

Lee attacks Gaara relentlessly, but no matter how fast he is, he can never get close enough to the red head.

Lee jumps back and creates space between them again, and Gaara finally speaks.

"Is that all you've got? I hope you haven't finished entertaining me. We haven't had enough...blood," Gaara says looking up as his sand runs forward and grabs Lee and swings him into the wall.

Lee rolls over and dodges the sands next attack and runs forward, once again attacking Gaara relentlessly but only meeting walls of sand.

"I don't get it. He's only using Taijutsu! Can't he see that's never gonna work? Why doesn't he get some distance and use Ninjutsu!" Sakura asks.

"That might be a good idea if he had any," Gai says, "You see, Lee doesn't have any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu skills at all."

"Your kidding!" Sakura says.

"Oh you should've seen him when I first got him. No talent whatsoever," Gai states.

"Really? I can't believe it!"

Lee flips back in order to avoid the sand, but slips on it and falls backwards, his eyes widen as he sees the sand tower over him again and attacks him.

The sand attempts to cover him but Lee back flips into the air and lands on top of the statue.

"Some may say that not having any Genjutsu or Ninjutsu is a disadvantage. But with Lee...it's what makes him a winner! Take em off Lee!" Gai states.

Lee looks over at him, "But Gai-Sensei you said that's only as a last resort and if people's lives were at stake!" Lee says.

"That's right I did, but this is an exception!"

"Really? Really!" Lee reaches down and takes off his leg warmers and reveals weights on his legs, he picks them up and stands tall, "Ah! That is much better, now I will be able to move freely!"

Lee drops the weights and craters form and dust rises where they land, "Alright! Now go!" Gai yells.

Lee attacks faster than before, his speed even shocking Gaara who looks around as the green clad boy continues to kick through his defense.

Lee flips up into the air and sends a kick down on Gaara's head, landing his first hit.

Lee skids back as Gaara looks up and glares at him, a mark on his face where Lee struck.

"That's right Lee! Let the POWER OF YOUTH EXPLODE!" Gai yells.

"Right!" Lee runs forward again as Gaara raises his arm and directs the shield to send a wave at Lee, but Lee dodges his attacks and lands a punch on the red head's face and knocks him back several feet.

Gaara lands on the ground, more sand falling from his gourd as he slowly gets up, "Uh oh," Kankuro mutters as he watches his younger brother.

Sand falls from Gaara's hunched form as Lee gasps, "What!" The sand shell falls from Gaara's face, not a mark on his there.

The sand slowly comes back and forms his sand armor once more.

"Well..is that all?" Gaara asks.

_'Ahh! My speed is not enough, not with all those sand defenses..but maybe if I can get him up off the ground and away from that sand then hit him hard from above with the lotus,' _Lee thinks as he watches his opponent.

Hinata looks down at the battle, her eyes wide, _'Gaara is even more formidable than I thought...even Lee's speed can't beat him,' _she thinks.

Lee smirks as he runs around the red head, Gaara's arms remain crossed, "What are you waiting for?" He asks.

"You asked for it!" Lee uses a series of attacks and kicks Gaara into the air and wraps his bandages around him, at one point he closes his eyes from the pain, "Primary Lotus!" He yells as he lands on the ground, away from Gaara who laid on the ground which was cracked beneath him, Gaara's armor cracked.

Hayate walks forward and inspects him, but Gaara's body cracks apart and reveals a sand clone.

Lee looks on in shock, "What!"

"An empty shell!" Sakura yells out in shock.

A column of sand appears behind Lee and reveals Gaara, a crazy look on his face as he forms a hand sign and grins widely.

Tendrils of sand appear in the air and attack Lee again, knocking him aside, a giant sand wave appears behind Gaara and knocks Lee against the wall.

The wall behind Lee cracks but he appears gasping heavily, having used his hands to block the attack, he runs forward and avoids another attack, forming another stance as Gaara forms another hand sign.

"It's painful to watch, why doesn't he just give up?" Temari asks, a smirk on her face as she watches Lee avoid Gaara's attacks.

Lee is blown back again by another wave of sand from Gaara, who has a murderous look on his face as he looks at him, "What good do you think that'll do?" He asks.

Lee is once again blown away, he cries out in pain when Gaara's sand attacks him again, crushing him into the ground.

Lee stands up, his eyes half lidded from pain and exhaustion as he keeps up his defensive stance.

Lee smiles as he raises his hand into his offensive stance and he avoids Gaara's attacks with his speed again, standing tall once more as he avoids Gaara's attacks again.

Lee smiles, as he begins to unlock the third gate, he stands stall with his fists at his sides as his skin takes on a red shade, _'The Gate Of Life! Open!'_

_'The Fourth Gate! Gate of Pain! Open!' _Lee thinks, yelling out in pain before attacking Gaara with a high kick to his face.

Gaara appears in the air, his armor cracking once more, his sand moves to reform the armor as Lee runs forward and appears in the air and begins to attack Gaara relentlessly.

_'My armor, can't withstand this pounding,' _Gaara thinks, _'It's crumbling away.'_

Gaara falls to the ground as Lee fists his hand, _'The Fifth Gate! The Gate Of Closing Opened! Are you watching Neji? See what you have to look forward to?'_

Lee disappears but reappears and punches Gaara in the stomach, sending him flying down. Lee wraps his bandages around him and stops Gaara mid air as he falls down with him.

_'The Sand Shield can't keep up with him!' _Temari thinks.

_'Hidden Lotus!' _Lee internally yells as he lands his final punch.

The gourd on Gaara's back begins to turn into sand as the red head lands on the ground, the smoke clears and it's revealed that Gaara's sand cushioned him from the fall.

Gaara sends his sand after Lee, the sand forms a hand as Hinata gasps and Shino's eyes narrow, _'I know what's coming now.'_

The sand wraps around one of Lee's arms and one his legs, Lee cries out as he struggles to get away from it.

_'Sand Coffin!' _Gaara thinks, and Lee cries out in pain as his hand and leg is crushed.

Lee falls to the ground his eyes closed and Gaara attempts to finish him off but Gai saves him and stands protectively in front of Lee.

"Why'd you save him?" Gaara asks as he clutches his head.

"Because...because he is my student, and also because he is precious to me!" Gai states.

Gaara stands up as his gourd forms from the sand and walks away, "I quit."

"The winner is-!"

Lee stands up, one hand bleeding as the other comes to shakily form his stance, the same for his feet.

"No Lee, it's alright, it's all over now," Gai says, tears leak from his eyes when he see's Lee's eyes, "Not even conscious and still determined to show the world what you can do! Lee..you've already proven it. Your a splendid ninja!"

Hayate glances at them before looking to Gaara, "The winner is..Gaara."

Hinata's hands tighten around the bars of the balcony, _'Lee...no doubt those injuries are career ending..but in the end he proved himself..you did well Lee,' _Hinata thinks.

Naruto jumps off the balcony and runs towards Lee, passing by Gaara and meeting his eyes with a glare, he stops in front of Lee's unconscious form, _'Bushy Brows.'_

The head medic pulls Gai aside as the others place Lee on the carrier.

"The boys breathing is faint but steady..there are bone fractures and muscle tears throughout his body..he's facing a long and difficult rehabilitation," the medic explains, "But I'm afraid..that's not the worst of it. His left arm and leg in particular have suffered massive damage."

Naruto gasps as he remembers the fight.

"I'm sorry, I know how much this means to you both, but his Shinobi career is over," he bows to Gai before returning to the other medics.

Naruto looks at Lee as the medics pick Lee up, _'He's wrong! He has to be!'_

Gai trembles as the medics take Lee away, "It's not true..it can't be true...it's easy for you to say that's it over! But what about Bushy Brows! What's he supposed to do now! Failure? I thought you said we can win! I thought you were gonna show how a failure can- it's a lie then?!"

"Naruto that's enough," Kakashi says.

"But it's not fair Kakashi-Sensei! He was going to beat Neji and Sasuke!"

"That's what his downfall was...your wrong about it just being Sasuke and Neji. It was you too, he wanted to defeat you in combat as well," Kakashi says, he places a hand on Naruto's head, "Be worthy of his sacrifice."

Gaara transformers and appears by Temari and Baki.

_'So the worst didn't happen after all,' _Baki thinks.

"Good to have you back Gaara," Temari says.

Hinata watches the sand nin, _'I think my theory was right...he has to be-'_

"The last two competitors, step up," Hayate says.

_'This is all or nothing for all you can eat barbecue!' _Choji thinks as he steps forward.

_'All I need to do is pass and fight Sasuke..right Lord Orochimaru,' _Dosu thinks.

"Alright, the final match..will begin," Hayate says.

"You can do it!" Shikamaru says.

"Fatso!" Ino yells, _'Unleash your rage Choji!'_

Choji grows angry hearing what she yelled, "Alright! This match is gonna end in two seconds! And then I'm coming after you Ino!"

"Fine fatso if you want this match to end quickly, then I'll just finish it quickly," Dosu says.

"Your going down hard you mummified weirdo!" Choji yells as a fire burns in his eyes, _'I know his moves all to well from my last fight battle with him. Those holes in his arms emit a pulsing sound but if I can't hear it he can't hurt me.'_

"Ninja Art! Expansion Jutsu!" Choji yells, "Now the Hidden Leaf Style Jutsu! This will protect my ears from his attacks and crush him like a bug! Human Boulder! CHUBBIES RULE!"

Dosu dodges his attacks, and when Choji lodges himself in the wall, Dosu lands behind him and attacks him, knocking Choji out.

"The winner is Dosu," Hayate announces, "And with that match, the Third Exam preliminary round is over."

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: I love my son Lee but unfornately he had to be defeated. I also love every interaction Lee and Gai are involved in because they just bring humor into everything and always make me smile and laugh! I hope you all like the end of this exam round and are lookin forward to the finals.**

**Hinata, Shino, Sasuke, Naruto, Temari, Shikamaru, Gaara, and Dosu will move on.**

**To cosmicblader12: You'll have to wait and see! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**A special thank you to PhoenixReborn424 for favoriting and following _Altered_! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! If ya did leave your thoughts by reviewing and don't forget to Favorite and Follow!**

**See y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

"And with that battle the preliminaries for the Chunin Exams are over," Hayate announces, "The winning candidates please come down."

The Genin all stood in a line before the Hokage, "Congratualtions on making it to the third round, even if one of you is missing right now," Hayate says.

"I will begin explaining the third round of the Exams," The Third announces.

_'Finally!' _Naruto thinks.

"The final round is where each of you will show off your battle skills in front of everyone. I want you to show off your ability and as representative battle forces of your respective lands, "Accordingly the final round will commence one month from this day."

"We're not doing it here and now?" Naruto asks.

"This is so that there is a suitable period of preparation," The Hokage says, "Along with the announcement of the conclusion of the preliminary round to each country's Daimyo and Shinobi leaders, readying the summons for the Final Round requires preparation time not to mention the time it takes for you examinees to prepare."

"What do you mean?" Kankuro asks, _'Why is he always beating around the bushes?'_

"In other words, in order to know your adversary. Time is needed to prepare yourself. Time to analyze what you learned from the adversaries in the preliminaries and time to take stock of your successes. The battles until now were like actual battles, it presupposed situations in which you can't know your adversary."

_'That's for sure,' _Shikamaru thinks as he glances at Gaara who stood to his left, _'I wouldn't have guessed he could make sand into weapons.'_

"However this is not the case in the final round. Some of you might have already laid your cards out in front of you. In the spirit of fairness and equality, you will have a month to train yourself to further your skills," the Hokage explains.

_'An entire month dedicated to training against the opponent you've been chosen to battle with?' _Hinata thinks, _'I do have a lot to work on...and with these opponents I'll need to bring my all into this. No holding back, even if I'm paired against Shino.'_

"Now that that's done, I'd like you to take your leave...but first for the final round there is something we need to take care of," the Hokage says.

"Let's get on with it so we can get to our training!" Naruto yells.

"Now now. I want you all to take a sheet of paper from the box Anko is holding."

"I'm going to go around in order, only take one," Anko states before walking to Dosu who picks one out, and then she goes down the line ending with Shino.

"Good, now everyone's taken a paper, from left to right tell us your numbers," Ibiki says.

"I'm eight," Dosu says.

"One," Naruto states, looking visibly confused.

"Seven," Temari says.

"Two," Hinata says, _'I was so focused on Lord Hokage I forgot I was standing between Temari and Gaara.'_

"Three," Gaara says.

"Nine," Shikamaru drawls.

"Six," Neji says.

"Five," Shino says.

"So Sasuke has number four," Ibiki murmurs as he writes down the bracket.

"Very well, I will tell you about how the Final Round will work," Hiruzen says, "Ibiki bring fourth the pairings."

Ibiki flips over the clipboard, showing them the brackets for the final round.

**Naruto Uzumaki vs Hinata Hyuuga**

**Gaara vs Sasuke Uchiha**

**Shino Aburame vs Neji Hyuuga**

**Shikamaru Nara vs Dosu Kinuta- winner will vs Temari**

_'N-Naruto-kun?!' _Hinata thinks in shock, _'I never thought I'd have to face him!'_

_'Troublesome, I have to face one guy and then another if I win?' _Shikamaru thinks, _'This whole thing is a pain.'_

_'Hinata-Chan? At least I'm not facing no-eyebrows, that guy totally destroyed Bushy Brows,' _Naruto thinks.

Neji and Shino analyze each other, the two standing next to each in line.

_'The lazy bum? If he's as easy to beat than his fat teammate this shouldn't be a problem,' _Dosu thinks.

_'Sasuke Uchiha..' _Gaara thinks, _'Just who I wanted to fight.'_

_'All the Final's Round is, is a tournament?' _Temari thinks in annoyance.

"Can I ask a question?" Shikamaru asks.

"What is it?"

"Does this mean there will only be one winner of the tournament?" Shikamaru asks, "That only one of us will become Chunin?"

"No, on the contrary. The judges of the Final Round, in which I am one, will be made up of the Kazekage, the Daimyo of various countries who will assign you missions, and the Shinobi Leaders. Through this tournament the judges will be able to make a thorough evaluation and come to a decision as to whether each of you possesses the qualities incumbent of a Chunin," the Hokage answers, "Even if someone loses the first round, they can still become a Chunin."

"So there's a chance that all us will become Chunin?" Temari asks.

"Correct, but conversely there is a chance that none of you will be promoted," the Hokage states, "To "advance" in the tournament means maximizing chances to appeal yourselves to the judges. Understood Shikamaru?"

_'What a drag,' _the Nara thinks with a frown, _'This is such a pain.'_

"Thank you for your patience, we'll adjourn next month," the Hokage says.

_'The next round will either be Gaara or Sasuke,' _Hinata thinks, _'Neither sound like a good match up...with Gaara's all around defense and offense...I'd need to be faster than Lee to even get past that. Logically my chances against Sasuke are higher...but with one month who knows what techniques he'll master and he has the Sharingan nonetheless. I need to focus on my battle with Naruto first.'_

Kurenai follows Shino and Hinata out of the arena, _'Even now as we head to the hospital to visit Kiba and Akamaru..I can tell they are thinking about the Chunin Exams and their opponents,' _Kurenai thinks, _'I don't think I'll be able to teach Hinata or Shino any Jutsu..maybe a few Genjutsu but that's it. I'm sure she'll train with her father when it comes to Taijutsu and Shino will train with his.'_

The three enter Kiba's room and find him laying in his bed with Akamaru next to him, "Kiba-Kun!" Hinata greets happily, "Are you feeling better?"

"Kinda," Kiba says with a shrug, "I'm just bummed out I won't be able to go to the Finals with you two."

"Speaking of the Finals, they've already decided that it will be a tournament," Kurenai says, "And the first opponents have been decided."

"Who are you facing?" Kiba asks.

"Neji," Shino answers quietly, "Quite the formidable opponent, I will need to train more diligently now."

Hinata nods in agreement, "I'm facing Naruto-kun," she says, "It'll be an interesting match."

"Who're the others facing?" Kiba asks.

"Shikamaru is going against Dosu, and the winner will battle against Temari while Sasuke will be up against Gaara," Kurenai explains.

Kiba shivers, "Good luck with that Sasuke," he mutters.

"I'm unsure of what will happen concerning that fight, either way the second round will be difficult for me," Hinata says, "If I defeat Naruto-kun that is."

Shino adjusts his glasses, "Don't get overconfident and underestiamte your opponent Hinata...or else you'll end up just like Kiba," the Aburame states.

Kiba growls in annoyance, "Seriously Shino?? I've learned my lesson no need to rub it in!"

Hinata glances between the two, _'Six months and they still bicker like this,' _she thinks with a small smile.

Kurenai sweat drops, _'Why do they always egg each other on?'_

Kiba huffs and lays back, "Whatever," he mutters, "So what's your training regime then?" He asks curiously.

Hinata smiles sheepishly, "I haven't worked it all out, but I think I will spend some of my time polishing my techniques, working on the Genjutsu Kurenai has taught me, and working on my overall strength, speed, stamina, and chakra levels."

"I will be working on my Jutsu. In order to defeat Neji I will have to use my best techniques," Shino states.

Kiba grins, "I'm gonna get even stronger this next month too! I won't let you two leave me in the dust!"

"We've left you far behind already Kiba. You've been eating out dust since we became a team," Shino says.

The vein in Kiba's forehead bulges, "Alright..that's it bug boy! I'm gonna make you eat your words!"

Hinata holds her hands up in an attempt to placate the peace, "A-Alright now, settle down Kiba..Shino."

Kurenai pinches in the brink of her nose, _'These two..I can't handle them right now.'_

Hinata sweat drops when her teammates continue to argue, ignoring her, _'Really?'_

Kiba and Shino suddenly halt, the Inuzuka visibly paling when they see Hinata's activated her Byakugan, glaring at them, "H-Hinata?"

"This is a hospital, we should respect the other patients and keep our voices down. Stop. Arguing." The Hyuuga says in an unnaturally calm voice.

The two quiet instantly, _'It's always the quiet ones,' _Kiba and Shino think.

Hinata's Byakugan recedes, "I'm going to go visit Neji, he's in Lee's room right now. I will see you all soon," The Hyuuga waves with a smile before heading off to find Lee's room.

**_Line Break_**

Hinata finds Hizashi outside the room along with Hiashi and Hanabi, "Hina-Nee-Chan! Congratulations on getting the finals!" Hanabi cheers as she runs over to her sister and tackles her in a hug.

Hinata giggles as she holds Hanabi just as tightly, "Thank you Hanabi..I assume your waiting for Neji?" She asks looking to her father and uncle.

"We aren't allowed inside, only Team Gai," Hiashi states, "We were gonna wait for Neji then go and find you."

Hinata looks to the hospital room door, _'Lee..those injuries are devastating for his ninja career...I don't even know how he's going to handle it,' _The Hyuuga thinks with a slight frown.

"Who injured him anyways?" Hanabi asks, "Not a lot of people can beat him enough he needs hospital care."

Hinata frowns thinking about the red head, "One of the Sand Ninja," she says, "Gaara."

Hanabi frowns thoughtfully, "If you go up against him you should beat him up for Lee!"

Hinata smiles as she looks to her younger sister, "In order to do that, he'd need to defeat Sasuke and I will need to defeat Naruto."

"Your first round is against Naruto?" Hiashi asks, "I'm sure you've already came up with several ideas for your training then."

"We have exactly one month to prepare after all," Hinata says, "And I'm going to make the best of it."

The door to Lee's room opens and Neji seems shocked for a moment before regaining his indifferent expression when he sees his family, "Were you waiting for me?" He asks.

"Duh," Hanabi says rolling her eyes.

Hinata glances at the door behind Neji, "How is Lee doing?" She asks.

"Hasn't woken up yet," Neji says, "He needs a lot of rest..you saw what happened to him."

Hinata looks away, "I wish I could say it could've been worse."

"He could be dead," Neji says, "But now he can't even continue his ninja career. Which is worse than death for a ninja."

Hiashi and Hizashi look at each other, Hizashi places a hand on Neji's shoulder, "Let's go home now, you'll need to inform me of who you'll be up against so we can start training."

Neji nods and follows his father.

Hiashi looks to his daughter who continued to stare at Lee's room door, _'They are all too young to have to deal with all this...but they are ninja now. This is the life of the ninja..I just wish they didn't have to learn that this way.'_

"Let's go," Hanabi clings to Hinata's side as they follow Hiashi and exit the hospital, _'Hina-Nee-Chan seems different,' _Hanabi thinks_, 'Just what did they see during these exams?'_

_**Line Break**_

Hinata took a deep breath, beads of sweat dropped off her face as she wiped her brow. She could feel her chakra was lower than before, _'The Triagram techniques take a lot more chakra than I realized,' _the bluenette thinks.

Hiashi nods from where he stood, "You did well...but it can be better. You must master it, you have your own style so you need a lot more work."

Hinata looks up and smiles at him, "I know, with this gravity seal on it takes a lot more out of me than before," Hinata admits.

Hiashi frowns, "Will that gravity seal hurt you?"

"No, it merely tricks my mind into thinking there's more pressure on my body than there really is, making it harder for me to move. It will increase my speed and stamina since I'll constantly be using it, and as a result I'll constantly be upping the strength on it," Hinata explains, "Right now it's at five out of five hundred kilograms, I had been thinking of putting one on for awhile. It's easier than using weights like Lee-Kun and Gai-Sensei."

Hiashi nods, "If you wish to use it. How did you know how to write it out?"

"The library, there's a book on basic sealing that had the gravity seal inside it," Hinata says.

Hanabi watches curiously from the side, "Can I use one to?" She asks.

Hinata smiles at her, "If you want to, but it's heavy and it takes a lot to work with. I had to concentrate my chakra to keep standing at first, it was quite the difference."

"Are you still using chakra?" Hiashi asks.

"No, I can stand and move without it now," Hinata says, "You don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine."

"If you say so," Hanabi shrugs, "Can Hina-Nee-Chan spar with me now?"

Hinata nods and Hanabi jumps to her feet and walks to the middle of the dojo, falling into her Hyuuga stance.

Hinata falls into her own stance and the two take a few minutes to analyze each other.

"Begin!" Hiashi says.

Hanabi dashed forward, intent on making the first move. She thrusts her palm out at Hinata who takes a step back and swings her foot out, knocking Hanabi back.

The younger Hyuuga stumbles but stays on her feet and starts to attack quicker with more power.

Hinata dodges her attacks, searching for an opening, _'..there!' _Hinata thrusts a palm at her sister's unguarded stomach and sends her flying back, Hanabi skids against the ground, gritting her teeth as she watches Hinata intently.

_'Hina-Nee-Chan isn't holding back...so I won't either!' _Hanabi sprints at her older sister and thrusts a palm at Hinata's shoulder, the older Hyuuga grabs her arm and thrusts another palm at Hanabi who side steps it and rips her arm from Hinata's grasp and slams her own hand into Hinata.

The older Hyuuga coughs harshly at the pain but doesn't budge as she high kicks Hanabi's face knocking her younger sister back.

Hanabi wipes her mouthand slips back into her stance, going on the defensive as Hinata attacks her first.

The older Hyuuga thrusts a palm at Hanabi who backs away and grabs Hinata's arm, Hinata smirks and kicks Hanabi's face with another high kick, Hanabi falls off balance and Hinata thrusts a palm into her stomach and knocks her to the ground.

"Hinata wins," Hiashi states, "Are you both alright?"

Hinata helps Hanabi to her feet, the younger girl grins, "You've gotten stronger since our last spar Hina-Nee-Chan!" Hanabi says.

Hinata giggles, "You've gotten much stronger as well Hana-Chan."

Hanabi blushes at the compliment, "Thanks Hina-Nee-Chan."

Hinata smiles and hugs Hanabi who giggles and snuggles her older sister.

A small smile lifts at Hiashi's mouth as he watches his daughters.

Hinata lets go of Hanabi and gives her little sister a mischievous grin, "Let's spar another round!"

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: There will two more chapters before the Finals round. The next one will go over the training more, and the second will be just a fun semi filler chapter. By semi-filler I mean the chapter will be for more fun than anything, but it won't be fully filler as there will be important moments in it.**

**To cosmicblader12: If I'm being honest I may have made Kankuro forfeit so I didn't have to write another fight scene lol. Then again, Neji would've seen all his attacks so his choice made sense. I hope you enjoyed this look at the training and you'll see much more next chapter! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**A special thanks to CrazyChimera for favoriting _Altered _and another special thank you to sabrac1 for following and favoriting!! I hope you both enjoyed this chapter!**

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**AN: _Altered_ reached fifty reviews as of last chapter and it still amazes me how much this story has grown and it's all thanks to everyone who has supported it by favoriting, following, and reviewing the story. Thank you so much and I hope y'all continue to enjoy reading _Altered_!**

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Hinata walked into the Yamanaka Flower Shop and wasn't surprised to find Sakura and Ino chatting behind the counter.

Ino looks over at Hinata hearing the bell, "Hina-Chan!!" The blond squeals before jumping over the counter and tackling Hinata, the Hyuuga stumbles but keeps her footing as she hugs the Yamanaka back, "What brings you around?" Ino asks.

Hinata glances over the blond to Sakura. The pinkette's eyes widen but she smiles at the bluenette, "Did you need something?" Sakura asks.

"Yes, I was wondering where I could find Kakashi-San," Hinata says.

Sakura raises a brow, "Your looking for my Sensei?" She asks, "Why?"

"I just need advice, Kurenai-Sensei suggested for me to ask him," Hinata explains, "Do you know where he is?"

"Yeah, he's on some mountain training Sasuke for his fight with Gaara," Sakura says, "Naruto is out training with someone too. I can't find him either."

"I can ask him after the finals round," Hinata says, "Thanks for the help."

"No problem! But is that all you came here for?" Sakura asks.

Hinata smiles sheepishly, "Not really...I was wondering what kind of training you both do? For more ideas..and I want to learn some new techniques."

Ino shrugs, "I mostly work with my Clan Techniques. I'm not sure whether that can help you."

"I train with my chakra control and my weapons," Sakura admits, "But I don't train enough, I need to start working harder."

"Thank you for the input," Hinata says, "I do need to work my Clan techniques, my chakra control, and my weapons. I'll make sure to add more time into training on control and weapons."

Ino smiles brightly, "I'm glad we helped!"

Sakura nods in agreement, "I'm glad too."

Hinata waves and hugs the two before leaving the flower shop.

**_Line Break_**

An hour later Hinata is working on her weapon throwing, she throws the kunai and it hits the bullseye, _'With Naruto's barrage of clones I'll need both the Triagram Techniques and my own version of the Heavenly Rotation for the Finals. I need to work on building my chakra levels up after this,' _The Hyuuga thinks to herself.

The hairs on the back of her neck rise and Hinata turns and throws her kunai at the figure standing underneath the trees.

The dull clinking sound of the metal hitting the ground has her on guard as she activates her Byakugan, and almost stumbles in shock as the Dojutsu falls away.

Hinata meets Gaara's eyes as the other Genin steps from the shadows, _'What is he doing here??'_

The training ground is silent as Hinata is paralyzed in both fear and shock, _'Calm down self...it'll be alright.' _

Hinata takes a deep breath before meeting his eyes head on, "H-Hello Gaara-San..what are you doing here?"

The red heads eyes narrow at her, and Hinata flinches at the glare he sends her, "You are fighting Naruto...are you not?"

Hinata nods, "I am..and your fighting Sasuke-San."

The Hyuuga feels a bead of sweat drop down the side of her face, _'This is so awkward..I've been meaning to approach him but..why did he approach me?'_

"Your aware that if you win your battle you'll go up against me correct?" Hinata looks up at him, surprised he spoke.

"Not exactly you...Sasuke-San could very well win the match," Hinata states, "And while I'm not very close to him. I don't doubt his abilities."

"You watched as I defeated a Genin a year older than you all, with more experience, who was obviously stronger. Yet you think he will win?" Gaara asks.

"I don't think he'll win. I'm not sure who will win between you two," Hinata says, "Do you think you'll win?"

Gaara closes his eyes as he crosses his arms, "Yes. I always win...and I expect this time my prey will put up a fight before I kill him," the red head states, "Would you be scared? More scared than you already are of me? If you win your battle, and I win mine, we will surely fight...and I will kill you too."

Hinata glances at his gourd when she see's the gourd shake and tremble, "I will put up my best fight in the event we are paired against each other Gaara-San," her eyes narrow slightly, "I will not be your prey if that happens."

Sand surrounds the red head before he disappears from sight, Hinata lets out an audible sigh of relief, _'I need to work even harder now. With Gaara-San openly threatening me..this could be bad,' _The Hyuuga thinks, _'I just hope Sasuke-San is working harder than he ever has and is thinking up a plan to counter his sand.'_

Hinata walks over to where Gaara stood and picks her kunai up, _'I need to get stronger. If Gaara-San is this strong as a Genin..there will be much stronger ninja out there.'_

She turns and throws the kunai, the weapon flying through the air and landing in the bullseye once more.

Hinata's eyes narrow in determination, she looks up at the sky and sees its midday already, "I need to head back for my training session soon," The Hyuuga murmurs before running back towards the Compound.

**_Line Break_**

"Again," Hiashi commands.

Hinata takes a deep breath and begins to rapidly spin her arms around as her hands glow with chakra, "Protecting Eight Triagrams Sixty Four Palms!"

Hiashi watches the chakra surrounding Hinata expand with sharp chakra needles and dissipate as Hinata pants heavily, wiping the sweat from her brow, _'She can use it three times before she becomes to exhausted,' _Hiashi thinks, "Good."

Hinata looks up at him, "Can we work on my other Triagram technique?"

"Let's have tea first," Hiashi states, "You shouldn't push yourself to hard. That technique takes a lot of chakra, it's impressive you were able to use it three times in a row like that."

Hinata beams at him and follows her father to the dining room where they settle down with freshly brewed cups of tea.

"Did you find Kakashi?" Hiashi asks.

"He's training Sasuke-San on a mountain somewhere, my question will have to wait until after the exams," Hinata says, "In a way it's good. That won't be able to distract me as I focus all my attention on my current techniques."

Hiashi makes a noise of agreement but doesn't say anything else.

"Where is Hana-Chan at?" Hinata asks.

"I believe Ko is training with her," Hiashi says, "You get distracted with her around and I thought it would be better if you trained without her watching."

Hinata grimaces, "I know...I do appreciate sparring with her though. It increases my speed and stamina since I have my gravity seal on."

"Speaking of, I was curious as to whether or not you'd continue your work with sealing Jutsu. The gravity seal is basic but I'm sure if you read through the other scrolls you'll find more useful techniques," Hiashi says.

Hinata sips her tea as she glances towards a calligraphy on the wall, "Maybe. A sealing scroll could prove to be useful, Tenten-Chan uses her's for weapons. I could use them for more than that..like extra supplies and other things."

Hiashi nods, "Hinata..don't push yourself harder than needed. At the rate we are training you'll be ready for your battle with Naruto."

"I'm not over training if that's what you are implying," Hinata says.

"Then why do you sneak out at night? Ko has let you go several times but he always informs me," Hiashi states.

Hinata looks at him with wide eyes, _'I shouldn't be surprised, Ko is loyal to my father first,' _Hinata thinks, "I go to a nearby waterfall and practice my chakra control..as well as my Protecting Triagram technique. I find it's an easy way to build chakra levels as well."

Hiashi nods quietly, "You may go every other night. Starting tonight you will rest inbetween then, you've worked hard enough for today."

"Yes father...thank you for letting my continue to train," Hinata says.

"This is a symbol of my trust in you Hinata. I have faith you will not overwork yourself and you will continue to grow stronger with every training session. Do not let me down," Hiashi states.

"I don't plan to father," Hinata says.

Hiashi smiles, _'At this point, I don't think you can my daughter.'_

**_Line Break_**

Hinata sat cross legged in the middle of her room, her eyes closed and Byakugan activated as she meditated.

Normally it's forbidden to have your Byakugan activated inside the Main House, but Hiashi gave her special permission since she was only using it to meditate and strengthen herself.

When she first activated her Byakugan she decided she would meditate an hour every day with it activated. Meditating calmed her considerably, so meditating before she went to bed helped her fall asleep easier.

Hanabi sat across from her, the younger Hyuuga meditated with her occasionally, only when she planned to sneak into Hinata's room and sleep alongside her older sister.

The two sisters soon deactivated their Dojutsu and crawled into Hinata's bed.

"What has meditating done to help you?" Hanabi asks curiously.

"The range of my Byakugan has increased greatly, as well as my chakra levels and control," Hinata explains.

"Wow! I need to join you more often!" Hanabi says.

Hinata giggles, "Of course Hana-Chan, I would love that."

**_To be continued.._**

**AN: Another chapter done! The ending is kinda awkward but I couldn't think of anything else..ending with Hanabi and Hinata moments are cute tho.**

**To Guest 1: I'm glad you like Hinata in this story! I do like the original Hinata but in this story she's a lot different because of certain events that didn't happen. Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to enjoy reading _Altered_.**

**To Guest 2: I'm not sure yet, it's an interesting idea and I do love stories where Hinata takes after Tsunade. She actually was Tsunade's student in my other story. As for romantic pairings for both the current Genin and Jounin, I am not sure. In all honesty I haven't really thought of romantic pairings between the Jounin nor the Genin. I'm glad that you like the story and I will think over your suggestions! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to enjoy _Altered_!**

**To Guest 3: I had an idea for developing her sealing Jutsu but not majorly, and I have been thinking about her becoming a medic-nin as well. I'll definitely think about that too! I'm glad you enjoy the story! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to enjoy _Altered_!**

**To cosmicblader12: Hehe, originally it was gonna be Hinata vs Neji, but me and my Beta wanted to come up with some original fights rather than rehash the ones from the anime. As for Hinata and Naruto..you'll just have to read and find out! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to enjoy _Altered_!**

**Guest 4: Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to enjoy _Altered_!**

**A special thank you to revendextr15 for following _Altered_! I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to enjoy _Altered_!**

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts by reviewing and to Favorite and Follow! **

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**AN: Semi-Filler chapter has arrived! If your confused by why I call it that it's because while the chapter is just silly filler, the interactions are canon for the story and will be mentioned later on in the story. A special shout out to my Beta who helped me with this chapter!**

**I apologize for the delay, we lost power on Saturday so I decided I wouldn't post on Sunday. Monday was Memorial Day so I didn't post then either. I posted today, on Tuesday, because I needed time to go over the chapter and fix some mistakes. The beginning of the Finals will be posted on Sunday, from then I'll be posting once a week on Sunday's until June 9th my next Thursday update will on June 13th and that will start the two updates a week once more. I have been behind on writing the chapters and I need some time to think over the plot and the direction I will be taking with the story. I apologize for all of this. Thank you for understanding.**

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Kiba and Shino exchanged bewildered looks before focusing on their teammate once more. She did not look happy.

Hinata crosses her arms with narrowed eyes, "I've attempted to approach him nine times already! Nine!" she states.

"Who?" Kiba asks, 'Is Hinata attempting to talk to Sasuke? She knows he isn't here right?' "Hinata..Sasuke isn't he-"

"I'm talking about Gaara-San, I've been trying to talk to him, but I lose my nerve every single time!"

"Why are you talking to him!? He'll kill you!" Kiba yells.

"He approached me first," Hinata counters, "And besides..there is a reason I'm trying to talk to him."

"What is that reason?" Shino asks.

"I want to be his friend," Hinata says simply.

Kiba gapes at her, flabbergasted by his teammate not a sound coming from the Inuzuka.

"I do not think that's wise Hinata, we've seen what he is capable of. Murdering three genin in the Forest of Death and hospitalizing and ending Lee's ninja career," Shino states, "Why do you choose to do this?"

"Gaara-San needs a friend," Hinata says.

"He has two siblings!" Kiba yells waving his arms around, "He doesn't need you as a friend!"

"Correction, Gaara-San needs a friend who isn't afraid of him," Hinata states.

"Your afraid of him! I'm afraid of him! We're all afraid of him!"

"Kiba is right," Shino says, "Even if you do try to befriend him you are still afraid."

"I'm swallowing my fear Shino-Kun, Kiba-Kun," Hinata states, "I think the reason Gaara-San is the way he is...is because of _what_ he is, I don't mean he is a monster. If you think about it he and Naruto-kun are similar."

"How?!" Kiba yells.

"If Naruto-kun didn't try his best, if he didn't ignore what everyone says about him, instead taking it to heart...if he didn't have anyone looking after him... don't you think he'd turn out similar to Gaara?" Hinata asks.

"Naruto is a Jinchuriki though," Kiba says.

Shino's eyes widen slightly, "...are you saying that Gaara is a Jinchuriki?" He asks.

Hinata nods in reply, "His chakra is similar to Naruto's, while the Nine Tails chakra flows underneath Naruto's own...Gaara's intermingles with the Tailed Beast sealed inside of him... it's the Beast who controls the sand."

"So that's how it moves on its own," Shino says.

"That makes sense...no wonder Akamaru was so scared of him. It wasn't only Gaara's bloodlust and chakra...it was the Tailed Beasts chakra he sensed," Kiba says.

"You wish to befriend him because of this?" Shino asks, "How do you know this'll work?"

"I don't," Hinata admits, "All I know is that he needs a friend...just like Naruto-kun did."

Kiba frowns, "I still don't agree with this..but I know you'll do it anyway so be careful Hinata."

Hinata nods, "I will be."

"Out of curiosity what was the first nine times you tried to approach him?" Shino asks.

"I tried to approach him during the day, he sat on the roofa of buildings a lot but whenever I tried to talk I either lost my nerve or his teamates or Sensei talked to him first," Hinata says sheepishly.

"Tonights the Star Festival*****, you should try and talk to him then, there'll be plenty of opportunities," Kiba suggests.

Hinata nods with a smile, "I was thinking of that too!"

"Speaking of the festival shouldn't you head home soon to get ready?" Shino asks.

Hinata looks to the sky and see's it's already midday and approaching the evening, "Your right! I'll see you both later!" She says before running out of the training ground.

Kiba and Shino split off soon after and head to their own homes as well.

**_(Line Break)_**

Hinata smiles at her little sister, Hanabi's hair was pulled up in a bun with silver chopsticks in her hair. She wore a yellow kimono with an orange obi, the kimono had some red petals decorating it.

Hinata's hair was also pulled into a bun with silver chopsticks, though with her shorter hair it didn't look as cute as Hanabi's, in Hinata's opinion. Her kimono was lavender with a navy obi and blue petals on it.

The two sisters giggled behind their raised hands when Neji walked towards the gate to escort them to the festival, he didn't look pleased to be dressing up for the festival. Though he still looked handsome in his light grey kimono and dark brown obi, the kimono had a bird pattern on it.

"Hinata-Sama, Hanabi-Sama, are you ready to go?" Neji asks.

The two girls nod and follow Neji out of the estate and the three walk to the festival together.

Konoha was lit up for the festivals, booths for games, masks, and food were everywhere. Lanterns decorated the streets, and the air was warm with a breeze.

"I love festivals!" Hinata says, Hanabi nods in agreement, a big smile on her face.

Hinata smiles and waves at Tenten when she see's the brunette approaching, "Hello Tenten-chan!"

Tenten smiles brightly, she was dressed in a blue kimono with kunai patterns on it, "Hina-Chan! Hana-Chan! Neji-kun!"

Neji frowns slightly, "Where is Gai?"

"He's with Lee," Tenten says now frowning herself.

Hanabi tugs on Neji's sleeve, "Take me to that game booth! I wanna try!"

Neji nods and leads her over, Tenten smiles at Hinata, "I'm gonna join them..before long Neji's patience will run out," the brunette says before following the two Hyuuga.

Hinata looks around to see if she spot someone she knew before she starts walking around instead, _'Konoha is so beautiful at night! Especially when decrated for a festival!'_

She greets the other Rookie's when she happens to come across them, and isn't surprised when she finds Gaara near the edge of the where the festival takes place.

Hinata looks down at the dango she held, _'I hope he likes sweets,' _she thinks before starting to walk over to him. She stops short when Temari and Kankuro appear.

"Gaara you should eat something at least," Temari says, "I'm sure you'll find something...how about some dango!"

"I don't like sweets," Gaara says in response, turning to look at Temari who looks away nervously.

Kankuro rolls his eyes, "Your not hungry?'

Gaara glares at him response, "No."

Hinata backs away, _'Alright...so much for that plan.'_The bluenette looks around and she brightens up when she spots a booth selling masks.

She quickly goes over and buys two, which happen to be a bunny and a tanuki.

The Hyuuga quickly walk back to where she last saw the siblings and finds they've left, "Shoot."

Hinata finds Gaara leaning against the railing on a bridge, she approaches him quietly and jumps slightly when his eyes land on her, he glares at her from the corner of his eye, "What do you want?"

Hinata can't find her voice so she holds out the tanuki mask to him, Gaara stares at it with an unreadable expression, "Is this for me?" he asks.

Hinata nods silently in a response, watching him with bated breath, wondering if he would take it.

Gaara takes the mask from her hands, _'A tanuki,' _he thinks with a frown.

Hinata watches him curiously and her jaw drops when he throws it over his shoulder and into the river before walking away.

_'I guess he didn't like it..' _Hinata thinks.

Kiba and Shino approach Hinata, the Hyuuga now stood atop the Hokage monument as she waited for the fireworks to start.

They immediately noticed she seemed more down than usual, "Hi Hinata," Kiba greets with a smile as he moves to stand next to her, Shino on her other side, "Are you feeling okay?"

"He threw away the mask I gave..threw it into the river," Hinata says, "I was really happy when he accepted it too.."

The two stare at her silently, not knowing what to say.

"You'll get another chance! I'm sure he'll come up here for the fireworks!" Kiba says cheerfully.

"I guess your right.." Hinata says quietly, she takes a deep breath, "I can't give up so easily."

The two stay with her until they see Gaara and his siblings arrive.

They give Hinata a thumbs up before leaving.

Hinata attempts to approach Gaara, but ultimately backs away and goes to find Neji, Hanabi, and Tenten.

**_(Line Break)_**

Tenten hides her laughter behind her hand, the expression on Neji's face was amazing, "I didn't know you had this much patience," Tenten says with a giggle.

Neji glares at her, "I normally don't," he states, "But in order to put up with Hanabi I must test my level of patience..at least when Hinata isn't around."

Hanabi smiles brightly, "I won again!" the little Hyuuga takes the large stuffed bunny and places it at the top of the mountain of toys she's won, which Neji held in his arms, a grimace on Neji's usually calm face.

Tenten's giggling evolves into full on laughter and Neji's finally had it, "It's time to go now Hanabi."

"What about Hina-Nee-Chan!" Hanabi whines, "I want to see her now."

Neji takes a dep breath, "Hinata knows the way back to the estate, do not worry Hanabi."

"Tenten-Chan, Hana-Chan, Neji-nii-san!" Hinata calls out to them, approaching them with a smile.

The bluenette is momentarily shocked by the relief she sees in Neji's eyes...before noticing the large pile of stuffed animals in his arms.

Hinata's lips twitch as she holds back the urge to laugh, "I-I see you've been busy," she says.

Tenten, who's laughter had died down, bursted into laughter all over again.

Hanabi smiles brightly and tackles Hinata with a hug, "I'm ready to go home now," Hanabi says turning to Neji.

Neji takes another deep breath before walking ahead.

Tenten waves goodbye, wiping a tear from her eye, "I-I'll see you soon!" she calls after them, her voice sounding breathless.

The three arrivw at the estate, the two guards expressions stay cold and collected, but they inwardly snicker at Neji.

Hizashi opens the door of Hiashi's office, stopping in his tracks when he sees Hinata, Hanabi, and Neji walking in his direction, his eyes falling to the stuffed animal pile in Neji's arms, he motions for Hiashi to stand and the Clan Head walks to stand next to his younger brother.

Hinata waves at them but the two men merely watch Neji as the group of three walks passed and down the hall.

"...I'll never understand how those two rope Neji into these situations," Hizashi says.

**_To be Continued..._**

**AN: So this chapter was primarily for humor since we're going to dive straight back into the Chunin Exams next chapter! **

**Also, if anyone is confused, GaaHina is not the official ship for this story. Whether or not they end up together, I always enjoy some GaaHina friendship, and I thought it would fit Hinata's character to try and befriend Gaara the same way they all befriended Naruto.**

***The Star Festival is a Japanese festival that ta****kes place during July. It starts on the seventh and takes place on several other days between July and August. Me and my beta wanted to incorporate festivals and other holidays and birthdays as well, I meant to have a chapter where they would celebrate Hanabi's birthday but I mistakenly thought it was in July, which it is in March. Expect more fun chapters like this in the future!**

**To LB Cat: Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To cosmicblader12: The next chapter will finally be the Finals! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**A special thank you to Red of Dawn and octaviapaz for following _Altered_ I hope you both enjoy this chapter and continue to enjoy _Altered_.**

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

The day of the finals had arrived, Hinata and Neji walk to the arena together thinking about their upcoming battles.

"Are you nervous?" Neji asks.

Hinata shakes her head, "What is there to be nervous about? I know Naruto and I will both bring our all to the fight and whether I win or lose this battle will be my best."

Neji chuckles, "I forgot you adapted Naruto's nindo. Never give up right?"

"Something like that," Hinata says with a smile, "Are you nervous for your fight?"

"No, I will win. I am fully aware of how strong your friend is from his fight in the preliminaries and I won't underestimate him, but I have my Heavenly Rotation and Sixty Four Palms," Neji states.

Hinata nods, "I'm using my own version of those techniques with Naruto-kun."

"I saw your training, do you still have that gravity seal on?" Neji asks.

"I don't plan on taking it off after the finals if that is what your asking," Hinata says, "It's a more efficient way of strengthening myself without weights so I will continue to use it."

Neji nods in understanding, "Did you visit Lee yesterday?"

"Yes, despite his injuries he seemed to be very upbeat...I know some of it was genuine but I could see the pain in his eyes," Hinata says with a slight frown.

The two arrive at the arena, heading inside they see Shikamaru and Shino have already arrived.

"Shikamaru-kun, Shino-kun, Good morning!" Hinata greets happily with a smile and a wave.

"Hinata," Shikamaru greets in response before yawning, "It's so early.."

Shino nods in response to Hinata, though he was watching Neji who nodded in acknowledgment.

"Are you nervous for your match?" Hinata asks, Shikamaru shrugs in response.

"Not really," the Nara says, "I don't really care, my father didn't even know I was in the finals until last night."

Hinata blinks in shock, "How did he not know...?"

Shikamaru sighs, "I don't know, maybe he forgot because he was drunk last night,"

The four grow quietly when Temari and Gaara enter the arena and make their way toward the middle.

Temari smirks when she see's them, oozing confidence as if she's already won.

Hinata watches the Sand ninja quietly, the tense atmosphere is broken when the proctor for the finals arrives.

He stands in front of the Genin, waiting for the finals to begin, _'I didn't think I'd be stuck as proctor for the finals round,' _Genma thinks with a frown.

Around fifteen minutes later some fireworks are set off as the tournament will begin in ten minutes.

"We're missing a few people," Shikamaru says, Hinata nodding in response, looking around the arena.

She spots Hiashi and Hanabi up in the stance, Hinata's eyes connect with Hanabi's and the younger of the two smiles widely at her, wishing her luck. Hinata smiles brightly in return.

Suddenly Naruto is thrown into the arena, landing awkwardly on the ground as the orange clad ninja gets up and runs to Shikamaru, screaming something about rampaging bulls, until he realizes something, "Huh..where's Sasuke at?" Naruto asks.

"That guy I'm supposed to fight isn't here either," Shikamaru says.

"Hey," Genma says, calling for their attention, "Face the crowd and smile. Your the stars of the show ya know."

Hinata slightly jumps feeling killing intent ooze out of Gaara, and finds the red head glaring up at the stands where the Hokage and the newly arrived Kazekage sit down.

She glances at Shikamaru and see's he's straightened up, trying to ignore him.

"Everyone, thank you for coming to the Village Hidden in the Leaves Chunin Exam," Hiruzen announces, gaining everyone's attention, "We will now begin the final round matches for the eight who made it through the preliminaries! Please watch until the end!"

"I have something to tell you before the match," Genma says before pulling a piece of paper from his vest, "Look at this. There was a slight change in the tournament. Check who you'll be facing one more time."

_'I had more preliminary matches than the others before...so the Dosu guy dropped out?' _Shikamaru thinks.

"Say..Sasuke hasn't come yet, what'll happen?" Naruto asks.

"In case a competitor doesn't arrive by the start time of his match...he or she will lose by default," Genma states.

_'It doesn't make sense. Knowing his character he'd come if even if he had to drag himself,' _Naruto thinks.

"Listen up guys. The terrain is different, but the rule is that there are no rules, the same as in the preliminaries. The matches will continue until one or the other dies, or acknowledges defeat," Genma says, "That said if I determine a match is over I can step in and stop it at anytime, and no arguments permitted. Understood? These are the opponents for the first match, Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga. Those two stay, the rest of you can go to the waiting area."

Hinata and Naruto watch the others leave before turning to face each other as Genma watches them, standing beside them as well.

Hinata and Naruto smile brightly at each other, both of them excited for the match.

"Good luck Naruto-kun, may the best ninja win," Hinata says as she slips into her Hyuuga stance and activates her Byakugan.

"May the best ninja win!" Naruto agrees with a grin.

"Now the first match...begin!" Genma announces.

"Now then, round one. Begin!"

It's silent for a moment as Hinata and Naruto analyze each other, Hinata reaches up and lightens the gravity seal she placed on her stomach completely, feeling the change almost instantly, _'I can feel the difference, everything's lighter,' _Hinata thinks.

Naruto looks at her confused, "What did ya just do Hinata-chan?"

"I just adjusted something," Hinata says with a smile, "I can't tell you all my secrets Naruto-kun."

Naruto grins, "You ready? Came here I come!" The blond yells, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Ten clones appear, surrounding Hinata and kicking off the first match.

Hinata crouches lowly before lashing out and thrusting a palm into the first one, ignoring the smoke Hinata attacks the other nine, quickly disposing them with her new speed.

Naruto grins, _'She got a lot faster...but that's not enough to beat me!'_

Naruto runs forward through the smoke, attacking her at the back of her head, Hinata turns around and catches his fist with one hand, Naruto's eyes widen slightly before he's thrown back when Hinata attacks his chest with her other palm, _'He knows where the blind spot is? Or is that just luck?' _The Hyuuga thinks before charging forward at Naruto.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yells creating five more clones, throwing the first one in front of him, the clone cries out when Hinata dispels him with a strong thrust of the Gentle Fist.

Hinata looks between the five Naruto remaining, searching for the real one. She pivots on her foot and kicks a clone coming from behind her, then turns and thrusts another palm dispelling another clone.

She watches the remaining two carefully, _'Wait a minute...' _Hinata's caught off guard when the missing clone wraps his arms around her from behind, the real Naruto runs towards her and attacks with a punch.

Hinata transforms into a log and Naruto turns as his clones cry out as Hinata makes quick work of them, _'She dispels them pretty quickly...but what if I attack with a bigger number of clones?'_

"Shadow Clone Justu!" An army of orange clad Naruto's appear behind him.

Hinata's eyes widen, _'So many clones...he manages them better than before too. The amount of chakra he has is truly amazing,' _Hinata thinks, before falling into her stance and focusing her chakra as the Naruto clones attack from all sides, she begins to pardon her Jutsu, "Protecting Eight Triagrams Sixty Four Palms!"

The clones cry out as Hinata dispels them all with one move, Naruto looks on in shock, _'A-Amazing.'_

Shikamaru stares at Hinata in shock, _'How long did that take her to master?' _The Nara thinks, _'That is definitely not Neji's Heavenly Rotation.'_

Neji smiles with pride, watching Hinata defeat Naruto's army of clones, _'Hiashi-Sama must've helped her completely master that technique. As far as I knew she was coming close to finishing it.'_

Hanabi smiles brightly, refraining from cheering for her older sister, _'I knew she could do it!'_

Hiashi smiles with pride as well, though it's a small smile as Hizashi smiles too, proud of his niece.

Hinata rushes through the smoke, attacking Naruto with a combo, Naruto grunts as he's thrown back. He stays on his feet as he clutches his shoulder where Hinata had struck, _'She closed off the chakra points in my right arm completely..if I'm gonna win I have to knock her out!'_

Naruto charges, attacking with a punch, oddly enough the hand Hinata had just disabled.

Hinata dodges the punch, and holds up an arm to guard Naruto's kick, sending a high kick at Naruto's face in retaliation, knocking him back again, _'Is he trying to take me down with brute strength?' _Hinata thinks, _'He can't spam anymore clones so I should finish this quickly.'_

Naruto grits his teeth as he runs at her from the side this time, _'Attacking head on won't work..one good hit and I can go from there!'_

Hinata deflects Naruto's next punch and thrusts a palm into his stomach, knocking him back though he stood his ground once more.

Hinata falls into her stance once more, gathering chakra to her palms, "Your in my division," Naruto's eyes widen, "Eight Triagrams Sixty Four Palms!"

Hinata attacks relentlessly, giving it her all,"Two palms! Four Palms! Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-Two Palms! Sixty-Four Palms!*****" Hinata yells as she takes a deep breath, falling out of the stance panting slightly.

Naruto is blown back from the attack, landing harshly on the ground, his hands twitching as he tries to move them, _'S-She closed off all my chakra points! I can't move!'_

Genma walks over to Naruto and crouches down, _'That technique should've closed off all his chakra points...he's trying to move but he can't,' _He stands up and motions to Hinata, "The winner of the first round is Hinata Hyuuga!"

The crowd bursts into deafening cheers as Hinata pants deeply in an attempt to even her breathing, _'That attack still takes so much chakra and strength,' _Hinata thinks, _'A month ago I wouldn't have been able to use both of those attacks at the same time,' _the Hyuuga smiles, _'I've improved.'_

Naruto winces as he's placed into a mat, "I can still walk!" The blond cries.

Hinata giggles as she walks over to the blond, "Good job Naruto-kun, that was a good match."

Naruto grins widely, "You too Hinata-Chan! Don't think I won't come back for a rematch! I'm gonna beat you next time."

Hinata nods, "I look forward to it Naruto-kun."

The blonds blue eyes suddenly look serious as he looks to where the other competitors waited, "I'm not saying this because I think you'll fail...but be careful in your next match Hinata-Chan. That Gaara guy..he isn't good, he'll kill you. Sasuke won't be an easy opponent either. If Sasuke wins beat his butt for me!" Naruto says.

Hinata smiles, "Don't worry Naruto-kun. I'll be careful."

Naruto gives her a thumbs up, as much as he can in his current state, before he's taken to the medical center.

Hinata walks up to where the other competitors waited, Shikamaru smiles lazily at the Hyuuga, "Good job Hinata. That was a good match, you've gotten a lot stronger."

Hinata smiles, "Thanks Shikamaru-kun."

"Good job Hinata, I knew you could win. Why? Because you've trained harder this last month than any other time, you deserved this win," Shino says.

"Thanks Shino-kun!" Hinata replies, a big smile on her lips.

Neji places a hand on Hinata's shoulder, "Congratulations on your win Hinata...you won't be the only Hyuuga who leaves with a win today."

Hinata looks between Neji and Shino, _'They're excited for their match as well. I can't wait to watch it!'_

"Sasuke hasn't arrived yet, it's time for his match..troublesome," Shikamaru mutters.

Soon the crowd starts to demand for the next match, Hinata looks back to the arena when she see's another Jounin appear beside the proctor.

When he leaves Genma turns to the crowd, "Listen everyone, one of the competitors in the next match hasn't arrived yet. For this reason we are postponing it and jumping ahead to the match that would've followed it," Genma explains, "So Shino and Neji, come on down."

The Genin make there way down to the arena, standing across from each other, serious expressions on both the candidates faces.

Genma looks between them, _'Compared to the last two, these two are far more serious,' _he thinks, _'The last match seemed like a match between good friends, this one is a test of strength for these two.'_

"Let the second battle begin!"

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: I apologize for my horrible fight scenes lol, I'm not very good at writing them. On the brightside the finals have begun! What do you think of the fight? Who did you think would win between Naruto and Hinata? And who do you think will win between Shino and Neji?**

***I apologize if I wrote that incorrectly, I went with my gut lol. I'm pretty sure that's how the technique goes.**

**To hinatayvonne: Don't worry they will be friends!...someday! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To cosmicblader12: I hope you enjoyed the beginning of the finals! I know you've been waiting for battles and I hope you enjoyed the battle between Hinata and Naruto! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To Guest: Thank you so much! I hope you continue to enjoy _Altered_! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts on this chapter by reviewing! Don't forget to Favorite and Follow as well! I appreciate all the support _Altered_ receives with each Review, Favorite, and Follow!**

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	25. Twenty-Five

**AN: If a chapter doesn't come out in time, I will not post an AN as a chapter, I will update my profile where I will let you know the changes in the updates. So if I miss out on an update check my profile out so your not confused! Thank you! Also we've reached 50 Followers! Thank you so much for the support and the amazing response I've reviewing from _Altered_ I love y'all so much!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

"The match between Neji Hyuuga and Shino Aburame will now begin!" Genma announces.

Neji activates his Byakugan and falls into his stance, eyeing Shino wearily, _'I need to keep an eye out for any kikachu he might try and sneak on me...he might have an idea of the blind spot since he's been training with Hinata-Sama these past months.'_

Shino stays standing, his hands in his pockets as he too, eyes his opponent, _'Neji Hyuuga..the genius of the Hyuuga Clan who's helped Hinata develop her own style. This'll be an interesting fight.'_

The Aburame raises his hand and a swarm of beetles comes together and flies towards Neji, the Hyuuga channels chakra to his palms and disperse the large swarm with a gentle fist, _'This isn't gonna work,' _Neji thinks, "Eight Triagrams Heavenly Rotation!" Neji yells, the powerful attack instantly destroying Shino's beetles.

Shino sends an even large swarm towards Neji, _'His Gentle Fist won't work, his only option is to use his Heavenly Rotation and then come close for a short range attack.'_

Neji uses Heavely Rotation once more, and as Shino predicted, he charged through the dust and thrusted his palm at Shino, the Aburame stumbles back before dispersing into beetles which attack Neji, more of the bugs flying at him from behind, "Heavenly Rotation!"

Neji takes deep breaths, trying to even his breathing out, _'Three is the most I can perform at a time, if he does that again I won't be able to use it. I need to attack him now!'_

The Hyuuga scopes the arena with his Byakugan, he turns around and swats a beetle about to land on his blind spot, Neji's eyes narrow when he spots the Aburame standing only a few feet away, _'I knew it, so he found it while training with Hinata.'_

Shino stays calm when Neji sprints forward and begins a relentless assault, the Aburame dodges his attacks swiftly and reaches his arm up to block a gentle fist strike, he immediately feels the pain of his chakra point being blocked but pushes through it and kicks Neji back in retaliation.

Neji watches him carefully, _'Did he just let himself get hit by the Gentle Fist?' _The Hyuuga thinks.

Shino runs forward once more and Neji blocks Shino's first attack and counters with thrusting a palm into the Aburame's chest, Shino ignores the pain and pushes on.

Neji's eyes narrow in confusion, before they widen in realization and he looks down at his arms and legs and sees the beetles swarming them.

"They won't attack unless I tell them too, and at this point you can't use the Heavenly Rotation again unless you want to hurt yourself. Your only option is to forfeit or my beetles will drain your chakra," Shino states.

Neji grits his teeth, "I forfeit," he says, _'I won't be beaten by him again.'_

"Shino Aburame wins!" Genma yells.

The arena yells and cheers for Shino, the Aburame releases Neji from his beetles and the two shake hands, "Lets have a rematch sometime, you won't beat me again," Neji says.

Shino nods, "I look forward to it."

The two return to the stand where Hinata congratulates Shino and then says to Neji, "Good job Neji-nii-San, but it seems Shino got the best of you this time," Hinata teases coming to stand next to her cousin.

"Aw Man! I missed Neji getting beaten by Shino?!" Naruto exclaims coming to stand next to Hinata.

"You don't have any room to say anything Naruto," Neji snaps back.

Naruto chuckles sheepishly, "You have a good point there hehe, but I won't lose to Hinata next time!"

"As I won't lose to Shino again either," Neji says.

Hinata smiles brightly, "You two are bonding! How cute!"

Before either of them can react, Genma announces the next match, "Temari of the Sand vs Shikamaru Nara!"

Temari smirks and opens her fan, riding it down to the arena floor.

Shikamaru sighs, _'How troublesome,' _the Nara thinks, oblivious to Hinata and Naruto standing behind him, the Nara yells out when the two shove him over the railing and he lands on the ground.

"What the heck was that for?!?" Shikamau yells up at them.

Naruto cackles as he crosses his arms victoriously while Hinata sends Shikamaru a peace sign, "The crowd would've left by the time you walked down into the arena! Sorry Shikamaru-kun!"

Shikamaru grumbles as he just lays there for a moment.

Genma and Temari watch him, unimpressed by his lack of motivation.

Temari watches Shikamaru with a smirk, "Are you going to give up to?" She asks.

Shikamaru remains on his back, lying on the ground, _'What's the point? I'm just a secondary show. All they want to see is Sasuke's match anyways. To top it off I'm fighting another girl? What a drag.'_

Temari grits her teeth, "If you won't attack I will!" Temari yells and grabs her fan before charging at the Nara.

Shikamaru sighs as he takes out two kunai, _'I forgot, this girl is spunky, I don't like spunky,' _he thinks.

Temari yells as she slams her fan down on the Nara, sending dust flying into the air, when it clears Shikamaru is standing against the wall, "I don't really care if I become a Chunin or not, but I guess I don't want to lose to a female."

Temari sends a wind attack at Shikamaru, dust flying everywhere, Temari's eyes widen when she see's he disappeared and she looks around, stopping on the three trees in the arena.

"I see your game, but I'm not going to fall for it," Temari says with a smirk.

Shikamaru sighs, he was crouching behind one of the trees, staring at the sky and envying the clouds, he looks to Temari again, _'This sucks.'_

Temari smirks, "I guess I'll attack first again," the Sand Kunoichi readies her fan, "Wind Scythe Jutsu!" She yells before sending another powerful attack.

The wind scratches the bark and takes off branches, Shikamaru grits his teeth as it bites at his skin, "Shadow Possesion Jutsu!" He says when the wind dies down and only dust remains.

Temari gasps and jumps back to avoid the attack, when she see's the shadow reached its limit she draws a line, "I get it now, you can use the shadow your in but your Jutsu has a limit," Temari says, _'That limit is fifteen meters and thirty-two centimeters. As long as I stay behind this line he won't catch me.'_

Shikamaru stares up at the clouds once more, before looking down and forming an circle shape with his hands and closes his eyes.

Temari narrows her eyes at him, _'What's he doing?'_

Hinata smiles as she watches him from the stand while Naruto looks at him in confusion, "What's he doing? I've never seen that hand sign before!"

Hinata chuckles, "It's not a hand sign, it's more of a...habit he has, let's just say he'll have a game plan soon."

Naruto looks at her, even more confused than he was before, _'What does that mean?'_

Shikamaru breaks his circle and one hand reaches back into his weapons pouch, he opens his eyes and stares at Temari who smirks, "So you have some fighting spirit after all?" She says before sending another wind attack.

Shikamaru takes three kunai out as he struggles against the wind, he ends up leaning against the tree, he grips his weapons tighter as he pulls off his jacket, panting deeply when the wind finally dies down.

Temari looks around, her fan still shielding her body, "Come our coward!" She yells sending another attack at him, when it dies down she gasps seeing a kunai fly out and jumps back, the kunai landing in the dirt just passed her line, two more kunai come out but fly passed her, "Ha!" she gasps again seeing the shadow come out but smirks, _'Ha! Forget it! As long as I stay behind this line he can't reach me!'_

Her eyes widen when the shadow comes farther, she jumps back and sees the shadow reached its limit again and looks up at Shikamaru who stood with his hands in position and his shadow still stretched out, "Your pretty quick on your toes."

"I see what your doing now! You weren't hiding in the shadows you were killing time and waiting for the sun to get lower and the shadow of the wall to get longer!" Temari yells, "The longer the shadow the longer your range is!"

Shikamaru stays quiet, watching her from underneath the trees and keeping his shadow stretched.

_'Alright, I just need to calculate the height of the sun and how much length he's gained since his last attack to stay out of his range. Easy,' _Temari thinks.

Kankuro's eyes widen, "Temari! Above you!"

Temari looks up when she see's a small shadow appear on the ground, "What is that!"

The shadow grows and Shikamaru used it to lengthen his attack and Temari jumps back out of range, she has to continue to jump and smirks when she finally reaches the end of his range.

Temari pulls her fan out and sticks it in the ground in front of her, shielding herself from his view, _'With the flying shadow on the ground he doesn't have anything else...I know, I'll use the Clone Jutsu to distract him and end the battle!' _Temari smirks as she begins to form the hand sighs, _'Clone-!"_

Temari gasps when she can't move her body, "W-What's happening!" She finds herself standing up as Shikamaru unfolds his hand sign, "It took awhile, but Shadow Possession Jutsu is complete."

Temari's eyes widen, _'But how!'_

"Turn around, I'll let you look," Shikamru says as he turns his head so she can look behind her, she see's the kunai he threw at her before, his shadow connected to it which allowed him to connect to her.

Temari realizes his plan, _'I wasn't in control..I walked right into his trap!'_

Shikamaru walks forward towards the middle and Temari meets him there, he raises his hand and Temari raises hers, fighting against his pull but failing. Finally, Shikamru speaks, "To hell with it I forfeit!"

"WHAT?!?"

"What! What did you say!" Temari yells.

"I used up all my chakra in that shadow possession Jutsu, in another ten seconds I'll be done," Shikamaru says, "Bummer, and here I'd already planned out the next two hundred moves in my head, but I'm running low on chakra and if I were to win this match it'd be to much work."

Genma smirks, _'This guy is something else,'_ he raises his hand, "The winner is Temari!"

Shikamaru releases his shadow and reaches up to rub his shoulder, "Man I'm beat."

Naruto growls, "That idiot! He had her beat and he just gave up!" He yells.

"That's not it Naruto-kun," Hinata's says, but her words fall on deaf ears as Naruto jumps down to give Shikamaru a piece of his mind.

Hinata looks around the stadium, _'The next match will be starting soon and Sasuke isn't here yet...that's not good,' _Hinata thinks, the Hyuuga glances at Gaara who stood at the railing quietly, _'Who knows how long he'll wait for him..'_

Temari returns to the stand and takes her place next to Gaara, "They don't know if he's coming or not."

"He'll come," is all Gaara says, he watched the arena like a hawk.

Genma glances at his watch, _'Hokage-Sama gave him ten minutes..time is up,' _"The ten minutes have expired, this match is-"

Kakashi and Sasuke suddenly appear next to Genma, Naruto, and Shikamaru.

"Sorry were late, you wouldn't believe the traffic," Kakashi says.

"I told you he'd come," Gaara says lowly.

"And you are?" Genma asks.

Sasuke turns to him, "I'm Sasuke..Uchiha."

"So he came after all!" Lee says, Ino, Sakura, and Choji turn to him.

"Lee! Your here!" Sakura says, surprised by his appearance.

Naruto grins widely, "Glad you showed up! I always wanted to see Hinata-Chan kick your butt!"

"You lost to that Hyuuga? I always knew you were a loser Naruto," Sasuke says with a smirk.

Sasuke looks up into the stands and meets Gaara's eyes, waves of tension rising off of the two Genin.

Hinata shifts uncomfortably, while feeling the tension, Gaara's rising blood lust was even worse, she looks over and sees he was grinning like a mad man, _'Oh no..I don't think this match will end well.'_

"Come down here Gaara!" Genma calls.

She watches the red head walk away with a horrible feeling stirring in her gut, _'This _really _won't end well.'_

_**To be continued...**_

**AN: I apologize for not getting this chapter done sooner. I skipped an entire week and I'm so sorry about that! My Grandma had an accident and I went out of town in her place so things around the house got really shaken up and I completely forgot about writing the chapters! Next week will be another update on Sunday, the following will be twice a week updated once more, I'll let you know if it doesn't work out, hopefully before the next update.**

**To hinatayvonne: I love both Shino and Neji as well, and I feel the way I wrote the fight worked out well and demonstrated their current skills in the story. The summon idea is very interesting, I know my Beta really liked it so we'll take it under consideration! Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To cosmicblader12: I actually wrote that fight scene completely from scratch, I didn't think to rewatch the Naruto vs Neji fight so I forgot Kurama made an appearance. My bad. I'm glad you liked the fight scene and I hope you enjoy the two I wrote, technically I didn't write the Temari vs Shikamaru fight tho lol but I did make some changes. Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**To LB Cat: I'm glad you liked it! I like the idea of a fight between Naruto and Hinata, it's always interesting coming up with the fight scenes! Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**A special thank you to Rmitch306 for following _Altered_ and another special thank you to jenv-arts, Melitalo13 and Kathuhrynne for following and favoriting _Altered_ I hope you both enjoy this chapter and continue to enjoy _Altered_.**

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts by reviewing and don't forget to Favorite and Follow!**

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

**AN: I've decided that as of now I'll only be updating once a week on Sunday's. I'm not able to write chapters fast enough for the twice a week update. I apologize for any inconvenience my indecision might have caused for everyone reading _Altered_. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter.**

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

Hinata watched Shikamaru and Naruto with a worried expression, the two had gone two shades paler ever since their walk back up to the balcony. The look of horror on their faces told her she _did not_ want to know what they had seen.

The Hyuuga looks back to the arena and see's Sasuke and Gaara facing each other, _'This is the match everyone's been anticipating...' _Hinata thinks.

"Alright, the rules of this match are the same as in the preliminaries, the battle goes on until one you dies or admits defeat. However, I can interfere at any time but that's solely my decision," Genma says, "Both of you, to the middle."

Genma glances between the two Genin, _'This is definitely going to be the most serious fight..Gaara looks ready to kill him,' _Genma thinks, "Begin!"

Sand starts pouring from Gaara's gourd as Sasuke steps back to put some distance between them, _'So that's the sand Kakashi told me about..'_

Gaara suddenly grunts in pain, holding his head, "P-please, I beg you...don't get so mad at me," he suddenly grins, "Mother."

Sasuke's eyes widen as he takes another step back, _'What's he talking about?!'_

"E-Earlier, I know...I made you taste such awful blood...but this time..I'm sure, that it'll taste so good," Gaara says to himself.

"His conversation started already...this is bad," Kankuro says, "It's dangerous."

"I know, this is the first time I've seen Gaara get like this before a match..this is how powerful an opponent Sasuke is...watch," Temari states.

The sand in the air falls to the ground as Gaara seems to calm down, he looks up at Sasuke, "Come on."

Hinata watches from the corner of her eyes as Shikamaru and Naruto leave the balcony, _'What are they doing?'_

She turns back to the fight just as Sasuke throws two shuriken at Gaara, his sand comes up and shields him, but turns into a clone and catches the weapons.

Sasuke starts attacking Gaara with high speed, matching Lee's Taijutsu, and lands a punch on Gaara's face, knocking him back, "So that's your sand armor..cmon, let's fight."

"If you won't attack, then I will," Sasuke runs forward with a burst of speed, dodging Gaara's attempt of shielding himself and kicks the red head from behind knocking him back again, "I'm going to tear off your armor."

Sasuke lands a series of hits on Gaara, his speed matching Lee's with his weights off.

_'What's Gaara going to do? His sand armor is taking up to much chakra,' _Kankuro thinks.

Gaara forms a hand sign and his sand starts converging, creating a shield around him shaped like a dome.

Sasuke runs forward and attempts to land another punch before its fully completed, but fails as his fist bleeds from the impact on the hardened sand.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto yells, he and Shikamaru appearing behind Kakashi, Gai, and Lee, "You have to stop this match!"

"What are you going on about Naruto?" Kakashi asks.

"The guy Sasuke is fighting is completely different than the rest of us! He's about as far from normal as you can get!"

"Slow down Naruto, What are you saying?" Ino asks.

"He thinks his point in life is killing others! Don't you see?! If this continues Sasuke will die!" Naruto yells.

Above the shield sand starts forming and created an eye.

"You gotta believe me!" Naruto yells.

"Relax, no need to panic...you know Sasuke and I weren't just goofing around..there's a reason we were so late getting here," Kakashi says calmly.

_'The third eye, what is Gaara thinking?' _Temari thinks.

Sasuke repeatedly attacks the dome to no avail, the sand attacking him every time he got to close.

_'I don't know what the heck your doing in there, but you can stall all you want...I'll just use the time to get ready for what I have in store for you,' _Sasuke thinks, glaring at the dome protecting Gaara.

Sasuke flips backwards and stands on the side of the wall near the top, forming some hand signs before gathering his chakra.

"What's that lunatic thinking?" Kankuro asks.

"I don't know, but he's not following the plan," Temari says, Hinata, Neji, and Shino look over at her, "He's of no use to us this way."

_'Plan?' _The three think.

A ball of electricity forms in Sasuke's hands, he grins down at the dome before running down the wall, the electricity damaging the wall as he ran.

Sasuke attacks Gaara's defense with his attack and penetrates his dome, "Now I've got you."

"W-What is this? It's so warm and wet...AUGHHHH ITS BLOOD! ITS MY BLOOD!"

Sasuke struggles to get his arm out of the dome but a giant arm made of sand pushes him backwards and slowly returns inside the dome.

Sasuke watches the dome carefully, looking visibly spooked as he sees something inside the dome moving around.

It slowly cracks and melts down, revealing Gaara holding his injured shoulder with his other arm, he's panting deeply as he looks up, his eyes bloodshot.

_'Something's different, that's not the same look in his eye's I saw before,' _Sasuke thinks.

Slowly the people in the arena begin falling asleep, Hinata, Neji, and Shino notice the petals and simultaneously create the same hand sign, "Release!" The three call out, Hinata and Shino grateful for all the practice Kurenai had them go through with Genjutsu.

A smoke bomb blows up in the balcony where the Kage's were seated. Everyone still awake looks over in shock.

The Sand and Sound attack on the Leaf begins.

**_Line Break_**

Kakashi and Gai watch the barrier form around the Hokage and Kazekage, _'They outwitted the Anbu Black OPs,' _Kakashi thinks.

Another Anbu appears in front of the two Jounin, two Sound Ninja appear on either side of him.

Sasuke watches the barrier, "What's going on here?"

"Stop it Gaara!" Temari yells, the Uchiha looks over at the Sand Genin.

"What are you three doing now? Can't you see the operation is underway?" Baki demands.

Temari and Kankuro leave, taking Gaara with them, Baki watches Genma and Sasuke, "Lets go."

"Sasuke, I'm sorry, the Chunin Exams end here for you, you've already reached Chunin level," Genma says.

"So in other words your saying to go after Gaara?" Sasuke asks.

Genma nods, "Just be careful, this is the real thing now..not a match."

Sasuke leaves the arena going after Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara. Shino, Neji, and Hinata watch him leave quietly, the three of them still standing in the balcony.

Inside the stands Kakashi, Gai, and a few other leaf ninja take on the Sound ninja.

"Sakura! Release the Genjutsu on Shikamaru and Naruto," Kakashi says, "He'll be excited, it'll be the first A-Rank mission since the Land of Waves."

"But Sensei! What are you doing?! With this battle going on why send us off on some mission!" Sakura cries.

"Sasuke is chasing Gaara and the other sand ninja, Sakura, release the Genjutsu and wake them up, and follow Sasuke," Kakashi states.

"Wait, shouldn't we wake up Choji and Ino and go as a group?" Sakura asks.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Kakashi says, a dog appears, "Go release the Genjutsu!"

Sakura makes her way towards Naruto and Shikamaru and releases Naruto first then wakes him up, "Hey..what's going on Sakura?"

"Get down!" Sakura yells, "I'll fill you in now stay down!"

Pakkun walks over to Shikamaru and bites his leg, Shikamaru cries out and sits up straight trying to shake the summon off him, "Shikamaru!! Why were you faking?!" Sakura yells.

"I didn't want to get involved, I don't really care about Sasuke anyway," Shikamaru says, Pakkun bites his hand and drags Shikamaru after Sakura and Naruto.

Shino, Neji, and Hinata listen in from around the corner as Hinata and Shino nod to each other before taking off after them. Neji joins his Sensei after they leave and helps with fending off the Sound Ninja.

Pakkun leads the three Genin through the woods, he senses nine Sound Ninja pursuing them. They attempt to shake them off their trail but it doesn't work for long, and soon enough Pakkun, Sakura, and Naruto run ahead as Shikamaru stays behind as a decoy to delay the Sound Ninja.

**_Line Break_**

"Hurry!" Temari yells, _'We have even more pursuers? Two..no three,' _"We have to move faster Kankuro!"

"Okay okay!"

_'I won't let you get away,' _Sasuke thinks as he continues to chase them down.

Naruto grits his teeth, _'Don't do anything stupid Sasuke.'_

Temari lays her head on the bark of the branch, "Well?" Kankuro asks.

"He's close, very close," Temari states as she stands up.

"What are we going to do?" Kankuro asks.

"Leave this to me," Temari says as she pulls some trip wire out.

Sakura suddenly stops and looks over in the direction of an explosion, "What was that?!"

"A trip wire trap, they certainly aren't making Sasuke's job any easier," Pakkun says.

"Is he ok-"

"Don't worry about it Sakura! Sasuke's gonna be fine," Naruto says.

_'I sure hope your right Naruto,' _Pakkun thinks.

"I finally caught you...as if you thought I'd really let you get away," Sasuke says, facing Temari and Kankuro.

"If it isn't Sasuke Uchiha," Temari says with a smirk.

"I sense that Sasuke stopped moving, but he's still a long ways ahead of us," Pakkun states.

_'That means Sasuke caught up to them...we need to hurry!' _Naruto thinks.

"This is as far as you go," Sasuke says.

"Go Kankuro! Get Gaara away from here!" Temari yells, "I'll take care of this one."

"You can't take him yourself," Kankuro says.

"This is what I've been waiting for, get going Kankuro," Temari states.

Kankuro sets off with Gaara on his back once more.

"Take this!" Temari yells as she sends a wind gale at him, blowing the Uchiha backwards.

"Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Temari says when he sends another kunai, she blows him back again.

"Fire Style! Phoenix Foower Jutsu!" Sasuke yells, blowing for small fire balls at her, _'Now to finish her off,' _"Fire Style! Fire Ball Jutsu!"

"Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Temari jumps up and knocks him to the ground, "Your mine now."

Sasuke uses Substituion Jutsu and leaves explosion tags on the log, knocking the blond back, "I've wasted enough time on you," Sasuke says before going after the other two.

Temari sits up shakily, _'Hopefully..I've held him off long enough.'_

Kankuro comes to a stop on the branch as Sasuke appears before him a few feet, "I guess I'll take you on."

"Wait!" Temari yells as she appears next to Kankuro.

"I thought he finished you off," Kankuro says.

"He could've, but he didn't," Temari says as she glares at Sasuke, "I didn't delay him for long did I."

"It's fine, as long as Gaara recovers his chakra levels and the more Uchiha wastes his own chakra is good for us," Kankuro says.

"Go Temari, I'll handle him," Kankuro says.

Temari nods and grabs Gaara before running ahead.

"Let's go!" Kankuro says.

"Wait!" Sasuke looks to the left where Hinata and Shino stood facing Kankuro, "I'll handle him," Shino states.

"How'd you find us?" Sasuke asks.

"I planted a female beetle on you, they give off distinct smells, none that you can sense, but male beetles can, and they'll stop at nothing to find them," Shino says, "You and Hinata go ahead."

Hinata looks at Shino, "Are you sure you can handle him by yourself Shino?"

Shino nods, "Give me ten minutes, then I'll go check on the both of you and make sure your okay."

"I don't need the Hyuuga's help," Sasuke says.

Hinata turns to him and activates her Byakugan, "I'll help make the hunt easier, with my Byakugan I can see both Temari and Gaara up ahead, and gaining distance."

"Tch...fine," Sasuke says before jumping ahead, Hinata places a hand on Shino's shoulder and smiles at him before going after Sasuke.

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: Woohoo! The next chapter is done! Next is the finale of the finals and Konoha Crush! I apologize for not focusing on Orochimaru and Sarutobi's fight. The story is more focused on the Genin than anything..and let's be real, no one can rewrite that fight..it was too epic!**

**I've been rewatching the finals and the episodes following it and when Asuma comes in to save Shikamaru he low key reminded me of the Wolverine from the X-men lol. I just thought I'd share that.**

**To Sara(Guest): Your review makes me so happy!! I'm so happy you enjoy this story and I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**A special thank you to abbiedobbie for Favoriting and to jhossietaisho, Pau-0806, and chinaluv for Following _Altered_! I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!**

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

**AN: I am back! I apologize for not writing the chapter last week. I've been busy irl and mostly I've been writing other story ideas. In fact I had an idea. Would y'all be interested in reading another fanfic I've been writing. It's a Hinata on Team Seven au story. Hinata's as canon as I can write her, but she doesn't faint that much. If your interested I can post the first chapter soon. Let me know. Onwards to the chapter!**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

Hinata and Sasuke ran through the trees, jumping from branch to branch as Hinata watched Temari and Gaara carefully.

"Gaara is waking up," Hinata says, "We're almost there."

The two stop on a branch, Gaara opened his eyes and glared at Sasuke.

Hinata looks over at Temari, the blond was watching them with wide eyes.

Gaara cries out as he holds his head, "Gaara no! Remember the mission!" Temari yells.

"We're so alike Uchiha, I may not have friends as you have but they're not what makes you strong. It's your purpose that does it..in that way we're alike, but mine is a stronger purpose. For only by destroying you and all you represent can I even prove that I exist! Only by killing you can I exist!" Gaara says as he clutches the left side of his head.

Gaara screams as he falls onto his knees clutching his head, "You are my prey! You...are..! MY PREY!"

Hinata stares at the Sand Ninja in terror, _'I-Is the tailed beast inside him...coming out?' _Hinata thinks as she sees the sand erupt from his gourd and start to cover his right side.

Temari cowers back when she see's Gaara's state.

Gaara launches towards Sasuke, the Uchiha and Hyuuga jump back, landing on different branches as they watch the Jinchurikki carefully.

Sasuke dodges anothe attack and hides behind another tree as Gaara taunts him, looking for the hidden Uchiha.

Sasuke attacks from above, Gaara attacks him but the Leaf Ninja uses Substitution Jutsu and attacks from behind, throwing six kunai that Gaara sends back at him.

Hinata watched from a higher branch, unsure of what to do as Gaara launches through the trees once more, cutting them down as he searches for Sasuke.

_'Gaara's strength is to powerful...Sasuke won't be able to do anything to take him down at this rate. If Gaara is really going to release his Tailed Beast...What chance to we have at stopping him? The only way to take on a Tailed Beast is with another..or maybe a powerful summon but we're just Genin, there's no way we would be able to summon something powerful enough to take on Gaara. What are we going to do?' _Hinata thinks, as she watches the red head down below.

"What's wrong?!? Sasuke Uchiha! Are you really afraid of me?!? Is this the existence you live now?! Prove that your existence is more powerful than mine!"

Sasuke summons his Chidori and Gaara immediately spots the lightening behind the tree. The two jump at each other, Sasuke's Chidori tearing through Gaara's covered arm.

Gaara continues to yell out as he holds his transformed arm. Gaara's right arm reforms and a tail forms as well, Gaara launches at Sasuke again, much faster than before.

"Fire Style! FireBall Jutsu!" Sasuke yells as he speed out his attack, Gaara shields himself as the Jutsu has no affect on him Gaara throws Sasuke against the tree opposite of the red head.

Sasuke creates a Chidori for the third time, though it falters as Sasuke strains himself. His curse mark activates and he's able to destroy Gaara's transformed arm.

Gaara quickly reforms it and attacks Sasuke again.

Only to be stopped by both Naruto and Hinata, Naruto lands a solid kick to Gaara's face as Hinata sends him back with an open palm to his vulnerable left side.

The two land on the branch as Naruto stares down Gaara.

Sakura lands next to Sasuke as she tries to help him up.

"Hinata? How'd you get here?" Naruto asks.

"I've been here the entire time...unfornately I hadn't stepped in until now. I wasn't able to find an opening," Hinata explains, _'I don't know what would've happened had I stepped in earlier...I would've died.'_

Hinata glances down at Sasuke, "W-What's going on with him? What are those marks on his body?"

Sakura stiffens as she stares at Sasuke in worry, _'S-Sasuke.'_

"Guys we gotta go now!" Naruto yells.

Gaara launches at Sasuke once more, but Sakura stands in the way. Right before he can swat her aside Hinata appears between them, "Protecting Eight Triagrams! Sixty Four Palms!" The dome of chakra protects Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke as it attacks Gaara. The red head roars as he jumps back, landing on another branch glaring at the four ninja.

Hinata lands on the branch in front of Sasuke and Sakura, slightly panting from the rush of the attack and the chakra she spent using it, _'That was close, a second later and Gaara would've attacked Sakura for sure...'_

Gaara clutches his head as he groans in pain, his entire face scrunched up in pain.

_'What is this guy?' _Naruto thinks, "Who is that?!"

Hinata frowns, "That's Gaara."

Naruto's eyes widen in terror, _'T-That's Gaara! What's wrong with him?!'_

Gaara's hand drops from his face as he looks up, "What's the matter? Aren't you supposed to make a run for it?!" Gaara taunts, "These three..who are they to you?"

"Their my friends! And if you lay a single finger on them I'll pulverize you!" Naruto yells.

Gaara's transformed arm grows as he attacks Hinata, the Hyuuga covers her arms in chakra and crosses them in a quick defense but cries out when she's thrown back into a tree.

"Aren't you going to pulverize me?!"

"Dang it!" Naruto yells as he jumps at Gaara, but the red head swats him away sending him flying. The blond looks down at Sasuke and Sakura, "I gotta protect them! It's all up to me!"

Hinata lands next to Sasuke and Sakura as Naruto attacks Gaara again, but is thrown back by his tail.

"What's the matter?! Why don't you attack?!" Gaara yells.

_'This is gonna use a heck of a lot of chakra..but it's time to bring in the chief toad!' _Naruto thinks, "Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto yells as a small toad appears in front of him.

"Caring for others..that's your big mistake! I fight for me and for me alone!" Gaara says as his entire body begins transforming.

_'H-He's getting closer and closer to fully transforming, and if he does we're all gonna die!' _Temari thinks.

"Sand shuriken!" Gaara yells as he sends the attack towards Naruto, the orange clad ninja grabs his toad summon and jumps back but is still injured as he falls to a lower branch.

_'Those eyes of loneliness..I've seen them before...from me, and now he's transforming into a monster. Like me,' _Naruto thinks, _'When I think back to before I met them it's all dark and scary. What would've happened if I stayed there? All alone. That's how come I can understand him. I don't know how it happened, but this guys been there all alone, and he's still there. And maybe he's right, maybe it is a weakness to have friends who care about, to know what happiness is...can I really win against a guy like this?'_

"Fight me now!" Gaara roars.

Naruto jumps forward, "You asked for it! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Sand Storm Devestation!" Gaara yells as he throws back Naruto and disperses his clones, "And again!" He throws back the orange clad ninja again, "Sand Shuriken!"

Naruto slowly stands as he looks up and glares at Gaara, _'I have to beat him even if it kills me!'_

"What is this? You come at me with all you got and this is it?! What a joke!" Gaara yells.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto says, "Get ready for the ultimate Taijutsu technique! Naruto Body Slam Jutsu!"

Naruto repeats his Shadow Clone Jutsu before appearing behind Gaara, "A technique from Kakashi-Sensei himself! A Thousand Years Of Death!"

Hinata sweat drops, _'That's a technique Kakashi showed them?'_

Gaara throws Naruto back, completely unaffected by the attack.

"Ahhhhh!" Naruto yells as he gathers his chakra, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

The others look at Naruto in shock at the sheer massive amount of clones produced.

"Alright everyone! Look out here I go!" Naruto shouts, "Na-ru-to! Two K! Uzumaki Barrage!!" Gaara is sent flying back with the final punches, "From Naruto's handbook!"

Gaara looks up as Naruto comes forward along with his army for another attack, _'Where did all this come from..all of a sudden!'_

"There's no way that I'm gonna lose to a guy like him!" Gaara roars as his sand flies up, dispersing all of the clones..smoke filled the area as a giant sand monster appears, "I never thought that you'd bring out this side of me!" Sand pins down Naruto to a branch, "This is the end of you!"

"Summoning Jutsu!" Smoke filled the clearing once more as Naruto appears atop a large red toad.

"What the..not you again..what is this?" Gambunta says, "Well if it isn't Shukaku the Sand Demon."

Gambunta argues with Naruto until his son, the tiny frog that Naruto summoned before, convinces him and the fight between Gambunta and Shukaku begins with the giant toad chief jumping forward with his sword drawn attacking Shukaku, taking an arm off the giant sand beast.

"Hey chief! Don't attack that way! My friends are over there! Try luring him this way!" Naruto yells.

Gaara emerges from the top of Shukaku, "Thank you for entertaining me today...now I'll show you the true power of the manifestation of the sand!"

"Playing Possum Jutsu," Gaara says before slumping forward.

**"Hehehe! I'm finally free! I hope your all ready to die!!" **Shukaku yells.

Gambunta jumps high into the air as Shukaku sends a wind attack, the chief toad spits water out at him. Shukaku knocks Gambunta to the ground but Gambunta is still standing.

Gambunta sends another water Jutsu at him before jumping down and gripping Shukaku's shoulders, "Now's your chance kid!"

"Your gonna have to keep a better grip on him than that chief!"

"Then transform us into something with fangs and claws!" Gambunta yells as he charges at Shukaku.

"TRANSFORMATION JUTSU!" The Nine Tailed Tox appears as he attacks Shukaku. The two tailed beasts facing off against each other.

Hinata stares up at the battle in shock, _'Whats going on here? Naruto is far more stronger than I imagined..just what did he do in that one month?...and how will I ever catch up with him?'_

Naruto jumps from the chief as he lands a punch to Gaara's face, landing on the Shukaku's head.

Naruto slides down and attempts to charge at the red head again but Gaara stops him with his sand.

Shukaku and Gambunta continue to face off as Naruto focuses on Gaara, _'I'm running out of time! I have to stop this monster before it's too late!' _Naruto thinks, _'I don't need much..just give me...give me some chakra!'_

Naruto yells out as the nine tails chakra surrounds him, _'I'm going to protect everyone! Get ready you crazy monster!'_

"I-...I've had it with you!" Naruto yells as he head butts Gaara. Blood trickles down their faces as Shukaku crumbles completely.

Naruto and Gaara free fall to the ground as Gambunta disperses along with his son.

Gaara and Naruto land in the trees across from each other, panting deeply from the lack of chakra in each of them.

Naruto and Gaara stand as they face each other once last time, before jumping at each other, Naruto lands a final punch at his face before the two fall and hit the ground in an empty clearing.

Hinata, Pakkun, Sasuke, and Sakura stand on the branch of the tree, still in shock and awe from the battle they had just witnessed.

Naruto struggles as he inches closer to Gaara, Gaara's eyes slowly open as he see's Naruto getting closer.

"No! Stay away!" Gaara yells.

"It's unbearable isn't it? The pain of being alone..I know that feeling..I've been there..in that dark and lonely place. But I've found people who I care about more than myself, so no matter what I'll save them! Even if it means I have to kill you."

"But why would you do that for anyone but yourself?" Gaara asks.

"Because their the first to accept me for who I am, their my friends," Naruto says.

Sasuke lands next to Naruto as Kankuro and Temari land protectively in front of Gaara.

Kankuro lifts Gaara up and he and Temari disappear into the trees.

"Temari..Kankuro..I'm sorry."

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: it's 2 in the morning as I finish this chapter..that's how late I am with this chapter. I'm so sorry for my lack of writing _Altered_ lately. Life be crazy am I right? I hope y'all enjoy this chapter as I pass out and sleep. Btw I am leaving tomorrow and coming back on Friday cuz I have camp. So yeah. A chapter may or may not come out next Sunday but I will definitely try and write!**

**Don't forget to Favorite and Follow and leave your thoughts by reviewing! And if you'd like to see the story I mentioned in the above AN let me know by reviewing as well!**

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	28. Chapter28

**AN: Wowwie, it has been forever since I've posted a chapter and I sincerely apologize for that. I've been busy irl, I just started my senior year and it's been pretty busy. Here is the long awaited chapter 28!**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Sasuke watched the Sand ninja's disappear into the trees, he glances down at Naruto who laid on the ground, watching them as well, before his face falls and he's unconscious.

Hinata jumps down from the trees landing next to them, "Did they leave?" She asks, her Byakugan currently deactivated, she didn't have much chakra left.

"Yes," Sasuke confirms, his curse seal still active, marks still covering his arms and face.

Hinata studies them with narrowed eyes, "Are you alright? Where did those marks come from?"

Sasuke glares at her, "That's none of your business Hyuuga," he snaps before picking Naruto up and jumping into the trees, making his way back to the arena.

Hinata watches him go with confusion, before returning to Sakura and Pakkun, the three heading back to the arena together.

**_Line Break_**

Hinata stood with her father and younger sister, dressed in black along with the rest of the village.

The sky was grey and cloudy, and she knew it'd start raining soon.

During the attack the Third Hokage had passed away, Orochimaru, a former Sannin, had murdered him and escaped.

Hinata bowed her head as she placed a flower on the grave, before moving forward, following Kiba back to where they were standing before.

The bluenette searches for Naruto, finding him near the front standing between Iruka and Konohamaru, the Hokage's grandson, _'Naruto..'_

Neji places a hand on her shoulder and Hinata looks over to him, "Naruto's strong, don't worry about him Hinata."

"I know...but I will still worry Neji-Nii-San, in these moments I feel the weakest, because I don't know what to say," Hinata whispers.

"It stopped raining," Hanabi murmurs, as she looks up.

Hinata follows her gaze when she notices the rain stopped as well.

By the end of the ceremony the clouds were gone replaced with warm sunshine.

"Goodbye Iruka-Sensei!" Hinata hears Naruto say, she looks over and sees the blond has a smile on his face as he heads to his team.

"I told you," Neji states as he crosses his arms.

Hinata nods with a smile on her face as well, "Yes, I know you did Neji-Nii-San."

"Hinata, Hanabi, Neji, we must leave now," the three hear Hizashi say, he stood a ways back along with Hiashi.

The three Hyuuga follow them, Hinata glances over her shoulder at the Hokage monument, _'I wonder..who will they pick as the next Hokage?'_

Standing atop the wall surrounding Konoha, were two men dressed in black coats decorated with red clouds, and hats with bells hanging on them.

The taller of the two men had a large bandaged sword on his back, "Well..it survived, but barely, the damage is extensive," he says to the other man.

"Not long ago it was at the height of its glory..look at it now," the other male says.

"You sound almost sad, don't tell me you still have feelings for your old home?" The taller one taunts.

"No, none," the second one says, looking up and revealing Sharingan eyes.

The next morning, hidden underneath the morning mist, the two men approach the gate of Konoha, the guard watches the men, "Hey!" The shorter male looks up, and the guard's eyes droop, until he falls to the ground unconscious.

The two men continue walking forward.

**_Line Break _**

Hinata and Neji straighten up from their fighting stances, both bow respectfully before deactivating their Byakugan.

"That was good," Hiashi says, "But it could be better. I think it's time for you two to learn a new technique."

Both Hinata and Neji perk up, "Both of them?" Hizashi asks.

"Neji's more than proved to me that he can learn the main house techniques," Hiashi states, "If he is to be Hinata's and Hanabi's protector he should be more than capable don't you think?"

Hinata is barely able to surpress a smile and she knows Neji is just as excited even if he doesn't express it.

"They both already have an impressive mastery of the Gentle Fist at such a young age," Hiashi says, "Do you think they can start learning to use the Eight Triagrams Vacuum Palm?" Hiashi asks, looking at his brother.

Hizashi nods, "I'm sure they can handle starting to learn it now."

"I agree, but we will wait until a better time before we start your training. For now you two are dismissed for the day, focus on resting. You two have been through a lot," Hiashi states.

Hinata and Neji bow respectfully before leaving the dojo.

"Where are you going Hinata-Sama?" Neji asks when he notices Hinata heading towards the front gates. Hiashi had only dismissed them twenty minutes ago.

"I'm going to look for someone," Hinata says, "Don't worry about me, I'll be back home in a few hours."

Neji nods in understanding, "I'll let Hiashi-Sama know that your with Kurenai."

Hinata smiles at him before she turns and leaves the estate.

**_Line Break_**

Hinata perks up when she spots Kurenai's back to her, her Sensei stood next to Asuma and they both looked forward seemingly talking to someone, "Kurenai-Sensei!"

Kurenai turns to her, "Hinata-Chan?" She asks, "I thought I told you to rest today!"

"I'm not out to train today," Hinata says sheepishly, "I came looking for you."

"Oh what did you need me for?" Kurenai asks.

Hinata walks forward and she see's Kakashi, "I was actually going to ask you if you knew where Kakashi-Sensei was!"

Kurenai raises a brow, interested in her students sudden interest in her fellow Jounin.

Kakashi didn't seem to know what Hinata wanted either, "Why were you looking for me?"

"You see-"

"Kakashi-Sensei, it's strange to see you here early," Sasuke says as he approaches the group, momentarily scowling when he sees the Hyuuga before his face returns to neutral, "Can we go somewhere else? I'm not much of a sweet tooth," he says when he notices the place they stood in front of.

"We'll be going now Kakashi," Asuma says, Kakashi nods, and the other two nod back before leaving.

_'What was that?'_ Hinata wonders, _'Did I miss something?'_

"What is it that you wanted Hinata?" Kakashi asks, focusing on the Hyuuga.

"Oh right," Hinata says, almost distantly, she snaps into focus as she turns to Kakashi, "I was wondering about the Lightning Affinity," Hinata says, "I have Lightning Release and I was wondering if I could somehow combine it with my Gentle Fist? I was hoping you could help me train with using it. I understand if your busy, I was hoping it could be sometime in the future though."

Kakashi nods, "I think that'd be an interesting combination, I'll think on it and let you know."

"Thank you Kakashi-Sensei," Hinata says as she bows, "Do you know where Kurenai-Sensei went?"

The Jounin shrugs, "I'm not sure, maybe on a date with Asuma."

Hinata nods, "Oh," she turns and starts walking away, _'I don't think that's where they went...'_

Kakashi turns to his student who was glaring at the Hyuuga, "I've never seen you so hostile when it comes to a member of Team Eight," the Hatake says.

Sasuke turns to him, "She just gets on my nerves, she doesn't mind her own business, now let's go," the Uchiha states before walking away.

Kakashi sighs before following him.

**_Line Break_**

Hinata shakes her head as she walks,_ 'Maybe I'm thinking to much into it,' _she thinks, _'Maybe Kurenai and Asuma did go on a date.'_

The Hyuuga arrives at her destination, the hospital, and heads inside, after signing in she makes her way to Lee's room.

"Hinata-Chan! It's wonderful to see you this youthful day," Lee says with a smile when Hinata walks in.

Hinata smiles brightly, "It's good to see you as well Lee-kun!" Hinata greets him cheerfully in return.

"How has Neji-San been? I haven't seen him since the festival," Lee says.

"He's been doing well, I'm glad to see your in higher spirits, I'll make sure to let Neji know to visit you soon," Hinata says, "How've you been doing?"

"I've been fine," Lee's smile seemed strained, "It's quite unfortunate to be sitting in a bed all day."

Hinata frowns as she looks out the window, "You shouldn't give up Lee, your the most optimistic ninja I know! I'm sure that there is a way you can recover," Hinata wasn't sure what she was saying, she just wanted to give some comfort to Lee.

"Thank you Hinata-Chan," Lee seemed to understand that as his smile became a little more genuine, "Thank you for visiting me. I'm sure your day has been busy."

"My day hasn't been that busy, in fact I'm supposed to take the day off and rest," Hinata says.

"That is understandable, we've all been through tough times these passed months with the Chunin Exams, and now we've lost Lord Third," Lee says, his eyes saddening.

Hinata frowns as well, the ceremony had been only yesterday, it still seemed like an impossible thought. That the Hokage had died, "Yeah..."

"I'm sorry Hinata-Chan, I did not mean to make the mood somber," Lee takes her hand, "With all that's happened we should be looking on the bright side! That the invasion hadn't succeeded, and that while the village had sustained damage its still standing!"

Hinata nods in agreement, "With all the craziness that has happened lately I'm glad that today we can all just relax."

Lee nods, "Me too!"

"You know..did I tell you what happened during the festival? Did you know Hanabi had been dragging Neji around the entire time?" Hinata asks, "I wasn't there for the whole time but by the end of the night Neji did not look pleased, he had, had enough of Hanabi."

"Ah, Tenten had told me the story, I was curious as to why you hadn't stuck with them?"

"Well, I had decided to attempt to befriend Gaara-San," Hinata says, "I'm sure you've heard by now that he is a Jinchurikki, just like Naruto-kun."

Lee nods grimly, "Yes, I heard from Gai-Sensei that he unleashed the Tailed Beast."

"I realized that if no one had been there for Naruto-Kun or befriended him, he might've ended up just as Gaara-San had. No one deserves to feel that kind of pain, but I hadn't succeeded in my mission. In fact, I think it's Naruto who changed Gaara. There was something about him, a change in him. I hadn't seen him before he left but I could tell from Naruto. They had connected in a way none of us could've connected with them," Hinata says, "They understood each other's pain, and I think Naruto broke through Gaara's walls knowing that."

"Do you think Gaara has changed?" Lee asks, looking at his leg as his fist clenched.

"I believe he will change, now that the invasion is over, and they left on relatively peaceful terms with the village. Anything can happen Lee, do you think Gaara-San can change?" Hinata asks.

Lee nods, "Yes, I believe that anyone can embrace the power of youth! Including Gaara!"

Hinata smiles at him, _'I think..that Lee will forgive Gaara in time, and the next time they meet they will be comrades.'_

The two Genin talk for awhile before Lee's nurse comes in and asks Hinata to leave, she waves goodbye to her friend before exiting the hospital room.

When she's walking towards the exit Hinata is surprised to see Sasuke leaning against the wall outside one of the hospital rooms, he's looking down, with wide enraged eyes.

"Sasuke-San?" Hinata asks.

Sasuke looks up at her, his Sharingan activated, before narrowing his eyes and running out of the hospital just as Gai comes out of the hospital room, "Sasuke!" He yells after the Genin, he turns and see's Hinata, "Hinata-Chan?"

Hinata approaches the hospital room and finds Asuma and Kurenai seated inside, and Kakashi unconscious on the hospital bed, _'What happened?'_

**_To be continued..._**

**AN: So like..I have no excuse for not updating until now, other than I've been hit with writers block and I haven't been able to write _Altered_ lately. I've been more interested in my other writing projects. So I'm so sorry to everyone who's been waiting for the new chapter. I know it's been two months since I last updated and I feel absolutely awful about it. I'll try and update more often, for right now I'm not sure when the next update will be. **

**Speaking of this update, what do you think of Hinata's idea of combining her Lightning Release with her Gentle Fist? I think it sounds so awesome. I'm also concerned about Hinata being OP in this story? Considering the path the story took I didn't think she was too powerful. In the anime at this point she only knew the halved version of the Sixty Four Palms, but considering Neji's been helping her train since they were little kids I think it's fair to say she would've mastered the technique by now. As for last chapter when she used the technique she created, which was shown in a filler episode I believe, I think she would've mastered that technique as well.**

**I'd like to hear what y'all think, I know there wasn't any action this chapter but it is a cool down from the Chunin Exams and the Konoha Crush. Also what do you think about Hinata and Lee's conversation? I just don't think Lee would hold a grudge against Gaara, it's just not something he would do. Plus I wanted to give my boi some screen time, we all know he deserves it lol.**

**To Cosmicblader12: Haha, I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thank you for the review!**

**A special thank you to AlianoraJinx and midnightsorrow523 for Favoriting and Following _Altered_!**

**Let me know what ya think by leaving your thoughts in a review and don't forget to Favorite and Follow _Altered_ as well! **

**I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!**


	29. AN

**AN: Hey everyone I know it's been awhile and I've been ghosting y'all when it comes to Altered but I've officially decided that Altered will be put on hiatus until further notice.**

**I'm sure that comes as no surprise since I haven't updated the story in a while and I'm beating myself up because that cuz I'm going through writers block.**

**I know y'all have been waiting for the next chapter and the fact I waited until now to tell y'all this has me beating myself up.**

**Rest assured that Altered will eventually come back, I won't end it here.**

**A side note to those who read my first story, Nakayama, I am very, very aware of how rushed and abrupt my ending was and I feel horrible about it.**

**I didn't know how to continue it and it's been haunting me all these months. I've been thinking it over and I might just rewrite the entire story.**

**Polish it and make it even better than it was before! When or if this rewrite will come I have no idea, it's up to y'all if ya wanna see it.**

**I appreciate all the support as I still see y'all have either favorited or followed both Altered and Nakayama even now.**

**I'll see y'all next chapter/update, thank you for keeping up with my very inconsistent self. Bye for now! :)**


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